


The Rehabilitation of Loki

by veronica_belleron



Category: Loki - Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Completed, Eventual Sex, F/M, Loki is rehabilitated, Loki is somewhat sad, Loki needs love, a badass female character, frigga is unbelievably good, loki is a little shit, loki is actually very sad, sad loki is bad loki, sassy wars, the end will be good i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-05-15
Packaged: 2018-03-18 20:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 32,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3582462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veronica_belleron/pseuds/veronica_belleron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Loki is locked up in the Asgard dungeons because of his actions in Midgard, Frigga and Odin try to rehabilitate him by arranging a marriage for him. Shit ensues. Love prevails.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frigga is Amazing

Chapter One

It had been twenty long years since Loki’s vicious attack on Midgard. Twenty long years of his (relatively) uneventful prison sentence. The sentence had originally been life, but Frigga had pleaded and reasoned with Odin until she cut it down to a mere century. This was nothing to an Aesir, so Loki was secretly happy with his mother. The sooner he could get out of his cage and get back to causing trouble, the better. However, he couldn’t let the outsiders know that he was relieved- he had a reputation to maintain. So he had been troublesome and worrying, as usual.

Loki had been treated like a prince while locked up but that didn’t prevent him from sulking. In his opinion, he didn't deserve to be in prison at all, so he had decided to take it out on his captors. For example: he had refused, for the past seven years, to speak to anyone. He preferred instead to, whenever someone (usually Thor or Frigga) tried to converse with him, cast an illusion of his lips being bloodily sewn together. Understandably, Frigga was worried.

“I think Loki is depressed.” she said one day to Odin as they were walking in the extensive palace gardens. The winter was almost over, and it was one of the rare warm days that spoke of what was to come in the following weeks. The vibrant colors of the immortal flowers and vines were even more so today, as they were soaking in the much-needed sunlight with eagerness. Frigga had thought such a beautiful and whimsical place was not fit for such an important conversation, but she had walked here with Odin every week for their entire marriage, and she wasn't going to stop now. Also, perhaps Odin would be distracted by the beauty of the nature and be more inclined to listen to her points. 

“I should hope so! He has much to be ashamed of. You should not pity him.” he replied sternly.

Frigga sighed. “Remember when he met Sigyn?”

“That whore from the south?”

“Odin! Be careful of your words. She was not a whore, she was Loki’s fiancee. You used to approve of her, remember?”

“That was before she left him and disappeared. I thought you hated her.”

“I did. I still do. I can never forgive her for what she did to Loki. She broke his heart. I believe she is a part of the reason Loki is  how he is today.” Frigga replied bitterly. She sadly reminisced on what had happened to him.

When Loki had been relatively young, he had met a young noble girl that was visiting from her family's southern estate. She had been very complimentary to Loki's features, as she was tall and lean, with long dark hair. They could have passed for family, but she had bright blue eyes in contrast to Loki's green ones. They had spent all their time together- reading in the royal library, riding their horses in the surrounding countryside, even playing tricks on the servants. Sigyn and Loki seemed perfect for each other, and Loki finally felt that he was accepted by someone other than his mother. They were engaged for two weeks, and their wedding was set to be in another week. The whole of the palace was invited to the wedding, along with all the nobles who owned estates in Asgard. But on the day of the wedding, the bride was nowhere to be found. After hours of searching, guards noticed that a horse had been taken from the stables, and clothes had been taken from the wardrobe in Sigyn's room. When they had finally told the extremely worried Loki what had happened, he had locked himself in his chambers for a full week with no food or water. When he finally came out, there were no more smiles unless he was hurting someone, no more laughs unless he was insulting someone. His happiness had been stolen from him by the unfaithful Sigyn, and for that, Frigga hated her. She wanted to give Loki another chance at love with a girl he would be happy with. She snapped out of her memory as Odin continued the conversation.  

“Oh, Frigga. He has always been a troublemaker, do not be foolish. Sigyn had nothing to do with his recent... violence.”

“Yes, but his mischief was always on the innocent side.”

Odin laughed. “He put snakes in our bed! How is that innocent? He was an irksome child!” he exclaimed.

Frigga laughed with him. “I remember that well. I also remember you made him work as a servant for a whole week after that to remind him he is to be respectful to us.”

Odin was silent. “That did not have any effect, did it, Frigga?”

She huffed, then slowly spoke. “I think that we can... help him return to his former state.”

Odin stopped and glared at his wife. “Enough with these theories! Loki is lost to us! He can never be saved!”

“Just listen to me, please.” she told him pleadingly.

He yielded, as usual, and crossed his arms. “Go ahead.” he said gruffly.

Frigga smiled. “Thank you. I have been thinking about this for a good amount of time now. My understanding is that once men have been married, they tend to be calmer: get into less fights in the mead hall, stop soliciting prostitutes, and all the other things your young warriors enjoy so much. I also understand that our son has never been inclined to do those things, as he prefers to play tricks and travel throughout the Nine Realms. I wonder if... well, to put it rather bluntly, if we arranged a marriage for him, would he come out of his dark place?”

Odin was silent for a time, then he spoke. “I must admit, it would be interesting to see how he would react to such an idea. But imagine- the poor girl we married him to! He would be relentless. She would run screaming from the palace in less than a month.”

Frigga cocked her head. “Not necessarily, my king. You see, the reason I started thinking about this in the first place is because I met the daughter of Lord Abel- the Lord of the Albinson estate in the north- and she intrigued me.”

“How so?”

“She was extremely intelligent. Whatever conversational topic I could come up with- she always had something new to tell me and always kept pace. She also showed me to her chambers after we had tea, and it was simply covered with books! Books of all kinds- stories and tales, cooking books, history books, books about the rest of the Nine Realms, and even a few spell books I could tell she was trying to hide from me.”

Odin raised his eyebrows. “Maybe she could work after all. Loki has always been the lone intellectual of the young men of the palace. But are you sure she could keep up with Loki? Is she in any way sensitive to insults?”

“I also thought of that. So I told her about the incident when Loki had insulted a poor servant girl so terribly that she issued a formal complaint and came to you for guidance- remember that?”

Odin nodded and sighed. “Extremely well.”

Frigga smiled and kept speaking. “She just laughed and said if she were the servant girl, she would have said nothing and then the next day while making his bed and cleaning his armor, put itching powder in his sheets and clothes!”

Odin laughed and nodded. “Alright, my dear, you’ve convinced me as usual. But are you sure they wouldn’t form a team and make even more trouble?”

Frigga shook her head. “The girl doesn’t even like Loki that much- she thinks him petty and dramatic. The nobles have heard all about his antics in the palace, of course, and so she has formed a negative opinion against him. I believe she will be able to humble him; change him perhaps. She has a strong spirit.”

“What is her name?” asked Odin.

“Maarika Abelsdottir.”


	2. Meeting Maarika

Chapter 2

 

It was springtime in the north. This meant the flowers were blooming through the light frost, the streams and rivers were starting to flow again, and the wildlife was reproducing and venturing out of their dens. 

It was regarded as the most sacred and beautiful season across the Realm. Maarika loved this season the most. She loved seeing the plants and animals come back in all their glory after the bitterly cold winter. It seemed like a magical transformation to her- a resurrection of sorts.

 In the extremely large Albinson estate that took up most of the north of Asgard, she felt free to go anywhere and do as she pleased. Her family owned fourteen castles, and she traveled to a different one every week, crossing the countryside with a few of her maidservants and a packhorse. She loved that her father was so relaxed with her upbringing. Most of the noble girls she knew had to stay in and be taught by private tutors from the city, learn embroidering, and prepare for marriage. Maarika felt lucky to have a father that was so busy managing his estate that he mainly left her alone to do as she wished. 

She took care of her own education by reading a large range of books and hiring tutors when needed. Her favorite subject was languages. She had mastered one language from each of the Nine Realms by the time she was fifteen, which was four years ago. Maarika was especially proficient in Jotun- the language spoken by the frost giants in Jotunheim. She knew relations with Jotunheim were tense lately, and hoped to lend her assistance to the king one day in diplomatic functions. 

Maarika also loved magic- a study she had kept to herself only, understanding that it was not the most respectable practice. She had discovered her abilities one day when she had gotten so angry at a character in one of her books that she had set it on fire. From then on, she had studied and honed her skills until she was extremely powerful. She liked to use her magic for good- like controlling the maids’ tools while they were sleeping so they didn’t have to clean the next day, or healing a broken bird’s wing. She had kept all of this a secret for her entire life, and planned on doing so for the remainder of it. 

Today, she was relaxing in a comfortable blue dress on the grounds of a fairly large castle on the outskirts of the royal palace iThis was the farthest her family’s estate reached. From where she sat on a steep hill, she could look down and see the beginnings of the city, and far off in the distance, the towers of the royal palace. 

Maarika leaned back against the hill and conjured a blue flame in her palm, looking at it lovingly as it flickered back and forth between her outstretched fingers. 

 _Loki_. 

He had recently been brought to the front of her mind after his adoptive mother, Frigga, had paid her a visit. She said that she was simply checking up on the Albinson estate, and making sure her father was taking care of her. However, the conversations she had initiated seemed like more than just polite small talk. Frigga seemed like she was getting to know her for some reason. Did Loki know who she was? Had he been asking about her? Her lip curled involuntarily at the thought. 

_Maybe I’m thinking too much into it. Perhaps the Queen is just speaks like that with everyone._

Maarika shook her head and stood up. It didn’t matter. She didn’t really care since she would never have to speak with the Queen again for possibly a very long time. 

But then she heard footsteps behind her, and whipped around, her hand hidden behind her with the flame still burning in case of an altercation. 

There stood an royal guard, dressed in full armor with a sword at his side. Maarika was confused. The guards weren’t generally allowed on private estates. 

“Good morning my lady. My apologies for disturbing you, but I have a royal summons from King Odin, Father of the Nine Realms. You are to return with me to the palace.” the young man commanded in a deep voice. 

Maarika bowed her head. “Of course. Would you like a refreshment before we head back?” 

The guard shook his head briefly. “I apologize, but I may not take a refreshment.” 

“That is fine. I’ll go get my hors-

“I brought another one, Lady Abelsdottir. Please come right away.” he interrupted, and gestured down the hill where sure enough, another horse waited alongside the guard’s own.  

Maarika raised her eyebrows. _Must be serious_. She followed the guard and mounted the horse, then they rode for about an hour back to the city, and then thirty minutes to the palace. 

Her horse was taken by a pair of servants, and Maarika followed the guard through a side door in the palace. She gaped at the high ceilings and the solid stone. The castle looked so... regal. _Though I suppose that is rather the point._

She was eventually led to a great door, at least thirty feet tall and solid wood. Three armed guards flanked it on each side and they opened the door for her immediately. She looked eagerly into the great reception hall. There was a long, blood-red rug leading all the way to the two thrones, which were occupied. 

_Wow. This could possibly be one of the most interesting days of my life._

Maarika was ushered in and then the door closed behind her. Suddenly nervous, she turned slowly to the thrones and started quickly walking towards them, only stopping about twenty feet away and immediately curtsying. 

“My king. My queen. It is an honor.” she said with a slight tremor in her voice. 

Odin gestured at her to rise. “The honor is all mine, Lady Abelsdottir. May I call you Maarika?” he asked. 

_The king just asked you if he could call you by your first name._

“Yes, of course, my king.” 

“It will make this whole thing a lot easier.” he replied, and motioned to his wife.

“Hello, Maarika.” she said gently. 

“Good morning, my queen. It is good to see you again.” she told her.

“It is _very_ good. Maarika, I should get right to the point. And that is, I have a marriage proposal for you.”

It was like the words were in a language Maarika didn’t understand. Her eyebrows knitted together and she started fidgeting. 

“My queen?” 

Frigga smiled. “I know this must be strange for you. Allow me to explain.” 

And so Frigga went on to tell Maarika her plan for rehabilitating Loki, and the role she would play in it if she so chose.  

“It would mean the world to me if you were to do this for me, Maarika. I swear to you, you would be rewarded. You would be living at the palace for the rest of your days, with free reign of every room. If Loki actually is compliant with the plan and ends up changing his ways, you would be in the history books, hailed as the woman who fixed the Prince of Lies. This is the ultimate way to serve your duty as citizen of this Realm. However, if you absolutely refuse, we will not force you to marry Loki. Do you understand this?” 

It took a few seconds for Maarika to make her decision. What better way could she learn everything she still wanted to learn? The royal palace’s library was revered above all. Their scholars were true geniuses. The grounds and gardens were beautiful. There were quite a few sorcerers and sorceresses that could teach her more about her favorite craft. She could finally learn proper fighting techniques straight from the royal army. And after the speech Queen Frigga just made, there was no way she could refuse. 

“Of course I will do this, my king and my queen.” Maarika said after a while. 

Frigga smiled, her eyes full of tears. “Thank you, Maarika.” She turned to her husband. “I suppose it’s time to tell Loki.


	3. Loki is Opportunistic

Chapter Three

 

Loki paced back and forth in his bright white cell, his strides long and forceful. He had been doing this all day.  

_Caged animals also pace in their cages._

Loki shook away the thought and clasped his hands tighter behind his back. He did feel like an animal, after all. He felt trapped. The cell wasn’t that large, and his tall and leanly athletic form needed space. At least he had his books. 

He glanced at the growing pile by his only chair. His mother - _Frigga-_ had been sympathetic with his plight and continued to bring him books as she had done the very first day he had been locked up. Even though the stories were interesting, it was a meagre distraction from his captivity.

Loki sighed and flopped down in his chair dramatically, earning a glance from the prisoner across the hall. He bared his teeth at him, then cast an illusion of himself with blood dripping from his teeth and an enormous dagger in his hand. The other prisoner shook his head, used to these antics, and turned away. 

_See? Even the rabble can’t be impressed by you anymore._

He rolled his eyes. He’d do anything to get out of this cell. Maybe if he started talking again, he could persuade his mother - _no-_ to shorten his sentence yet again. Though he doubted he could trick his mother - _she is not my mother-_ into doing anything else for him. She was the one person Loki had never been able to lie to in his life- he had simply felt too guilty about it. _Why should I feel guilty for lying to the old hag?_

Even this thought made Loki wince. No matter how hard he tried, he could not hate Frigga. She had taught him everything he knew, and always understood his motives for any number of stupid pranks he pulled. She was his supreme ally, and deep in his heart Loki knew this. But his pride was too strong for him to admit this, of course. 

Suddenly he heard the dungeon doors open, and _one, no... two_ pairs of footsteps walk down the hall. Perhaps another guard with a new prisoner. But when Odin and Frigga appeared at the front of Loki’s cell, he almost had to shove his jaw back up from where it had dropped. 

“Hello Loki,” Frigga smiled. “We have good news, son.” 

Loki pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. He would have cast the “sewn lips” illusion, but he was actually curious this time. And so he spoke his first words in seven years. 

“What is it?” he drawled lazily. He didn’t want them to think that he cared too much. 

Frigga beamed. Hearing her son’s voice again lifted her spirits to the skies. She was hopeful, but not too much. She knew how her son could be. 

“You can come back to the palace, Loki.” Frigga told him happily. 

Loki was still. _This is a trap. It has to be._

Then he smirked. “And you call me the Prince of Lies?” 

Odin stepped forward with a snarl. “Have some respect for your mother, even if you won’t have any for me.” 

Loki cocked his head and mirrored Odin’s snarl. “Of course I won’t have any for you. No decent person would respect a deceiving and cold-hearted kidnapper with no moral standings at all.” 

“ _I’m_ the one with no moral standings?” Odin shouted. 

Frigga raised her hands and stepped between Odin and the glass, which Loki was now pressed against threateningly. “Stop this at once!” she commanded, and turned to Loki. “We are trying to help you, Loki. Be civil.” Then she turned to Odin. “Don’t let him get under your skin, you know he’s just confused.” 

Loki was about to protest but she cut him off with a look. “Back to what I was going to say, my son. We can get you out of this cell, but you have to abide by our terms.” she explained. 

_I have to admit, this is pretty interesting. How bad could these terms possibly be?_

“Go on.” 

Frigga suppressed a smile while Odin grimaced and braced himself for Loki’s reaction to what she was going to say next. 

“You have to get married.” Frigga said calmly, and watched Loki’s features carefully. 

_I..._

Loki furrowed his eyebrows. “Excuse me?” 

“We have a very capable girl already picked out for you. You will be given three weeks to get to know her before the wedding, and then you will remain married to her for the rest of your life. You must not travel outside of the palace grounds except when on rides or walks, which would both be chaperoned by armed guards. These are our terms, Loki. And we will give you until tomorrow to think about your response to them.” Frigga told Loki quickly and calmly, and then Odin and Frigga started to walk away down the hall. 

The thoughts were lightning fast in Loki’s head. 

_I could get out of this cage. I could stop pacing. I could play tricks again. Maybe if the girl isn’t a total wreck, I could have an intelligent conversation.  I could pick out my own books. I could plot my revenge. I could escape Asgard._

The last one rang in his head, and before he knew it he was pounding on the glass of his cage, yelling for them to come back. They did, swiftly and worriedly. 

Frigga started, thinking that Loki was going to proudly refuse their offer with a few insults thrown into his sentences. “Loki, you have not given this enough thought. Think of the opportuni-

“I’ll do it!” he exclaimed with a mad grin on his face. 

Odin turned to his wife with raised eyebrows. “You can take it from here.” he said, then walked away. 

Frigga turned back to her son with a smile.

 

-

 

It took about an hour to answer all of Loki’s questions. 

What was the girl’s name? What did she look like? Can I have my old chambers back? Will she have to live in my chambers with me? And so on and so forth. 

Frigga explained that her name was Maarika Abelsdottir, and her attractiveness to Loki could only be decided by him. She explained Maarika wouldn’t allow any foolishness from Loki, and that her cleverness rivaled his own.

He had scoffed at that. _Some stupid northern noble girl, raised to sew designs into fabric and braid her hair prettily? I doubt she even knows how to read._

Frigga pressed on. Loki and Maarika would be bound together for three weeks. Frigga had been working on a spell that would chain them (invisibly, of course) together. They could only be a maximum of 50 feet from each other at any given time. She was trying to push them to bond and get to know each other, as she knew very well that if Loki wasn’t forced to do something he wouldn’t do it. 

Loki wasn’t happy about this. _Just getting out of prison and I’m already back in chains?_  

But he still agreed because he knew this was his only chance of ever escaping Asgard and the people he hated so much. And so he followed his mother, without chains for the first time in a long time, through the castle to the great hall. He reveled in the sight of the golden thrones and the sheer size of the hall. _I should be sitting there._

Loki’s attention was soon stolen from bitter memories to the girl standing at the end of the hall, near the thrones. As he and Frigga approached, he saw more of her. 

She was of medium height and build. She looked athletic, nothing like the normal thin noble girls who had never exercised in their lives. The girl was of a shade a bit darker than his own, but still unusual for someone who seemed to spend most of her time outside exercising. Her dark brown hair reached to her elbows, and looked messy, as if she had just come from a long ride. Maarika’s face was structured, and had high cheekbones not unlike Loki’s. _She's pretty enough._  

He didn’t notice the color of her eyes until he stepped forward, about a foot away from her. They were a steely grey, and regarded him with disdain. 

Loki smiled a little. Obviously she didn’t approve of this marriage, or him for that matter. _So why did she agree?_  

“Hello, Maarika,” he said smoothly, holding out his hand. “My name is Loki.” 

Maarika bowed her head in forced respect. “It is good to meet you.” 

Loki turned to his mother. “What now, mother? Where are the chains I have been so looking forward to?” he asked sarcastically, and Frigga rolled her eyes. 

“Well, Loki, if you are truly that eager.” she replied smartly with a gleam in her eye. She muttered the incantation under her breath and put a hand on Loki and Maarika’s respective arms. Then she opened her eyes and looked up happily at both of them. 

“It is done. Now Loki, could you show her to your chambers? If you still remember the way, that is.” Frigga said. 

Loki sighed. “Of course.” 

Then the new couple began the long walk to their new life. 

 


	4. Maarika reveals her True Nature

Chapter 4

 

The walk to Loki’s chambers was quiet and awkward for both of them. Sometimes they would pass servants, who gave Loki a confused and frightened glance, then run away. Neither Maarika nor Loki attempted to speak to the other, but strode together in silence. Every so often their eyes would drift towards the other’s, and would snap back to center in a matter of seconds. Both were curious, but refused to admit it. 

Finally, they arrived at their destination. Loki’s living space was in a remote hallway far away from the great hall, and there was no one else around. The door to his chambers was a large, thick oak slab, and when Maarika stepped inside, she noticed the huge iron lock on the inside. That’s not the only thing she noticed, however. 

Loki’s room was completely spotless. To the left of the door, the walls were lined with bookshelves. Some books were piled on the tile floor, all in perfectly neat stacks. There was a large, plush sofa facing the bookshelves with a great green blanket folded on its arm. To the center, there was an enormous black desk. It was tidy, and had great piles of papers and folders across it. There were windows in the room, however, Loki had covered them with extremely dark drapes. 

_Maybe that’s why he’s so pale._

To the right, there was a short corridor leading, Maarika assumed, into his bedroom and bathroom. She preferred not to think about that at the moment. 

Loki stepped down off the doorstep and walked over to the bookshelves, trailing his long, pale finger across the ancient spines. It occurred to Maarika that he hadn’t seen this room for some time, and he perhaps needed to be left alone for a minute. 

He looked around for some time, peering into corners and lightly brushing off the dusty curtains. Loki examined the papers on his desk, and straightened his ink bottle and quill. He swiped a finger across it and looked at that too, squinting and muttering something about incompetent servants. Soon enough, he was done, and Maarika prepared herself for the conversation that was sure to ensue. 

Sure enough, he walked leisurely over to the couch and lowered himself down on the far end of it. “Do come sit with me, Maarika.” he said quietly. 

Maarika didn’t want to follow the trickster’s orders but she did so anyway, sensing it was needed. She sat gingerly on the end of the couch that was farthest away from him, and turned slightly in his direction. She then caught his eye and tried to hold him in her gaze. 

“Yes, Loki?” she asked. 

Loki simply stared at her for a while, looking her up and down appraisingly. Maarika didn’t appreciate this much. 

“Done examining the meat, my prince?” Maarika spoke. 

Loki’s green eyes snapped back to her grey ones. “Almost,” he replied, and kept staring at her.

Maarika had to suppress the flame in her hand that surged in time with her anger. She stood up and looked down at him with a sneer. 

“What did you want to talk about? Or were you simply collecting images you could use for your own pleasure later tonight, because no sane woman would ever fuck you?” she spat venomously. 

Loki smiled like some sort of wild predator, showing off his strangely pointed canines. “You’re a feisty one. I should have known.” 

“How could you have known? You didn’t know you were meeting me until today.” 

“My parents want to humble me. Of course they think you will do that job finely.” 

“I hope I do. Both for your sake and mine. You are much too prideful for a _fallen_ prince.”

Loki was silent. “Perhaps so.” he said shortly, and got up from the couch, now towering over her. “I’ll be in _our_ room, my love.” he told Maarika sarcastically, and stalked down the short hallway and disappeared around the corner.

Maarika let out a big breath, and sat back down on the couch. He had been exactly as she had imagined him. Proud. Entitled. Clever. _What a bastard._

In the other room, Loki was fuming. 

_How dare she talk to me like that? I am a prince! I am her superior! I am stronger than her, smarter than her, more powerful than her. She needs to learn respect._

He gazed around at his personal chambers. _Personal no more._ He had one dresser, a nightstand, and a bed. Bare as it was, it was much better than his cell. At least it had a bathroom where he could shower and bathe as he wished. His lip curled as he realized that his new partner would have to shower and bathe there too. And as his eyes raked over the bed, he almost yelled out of frustration. His first day back from prison, and he would have to share his bed with someone. 

Loki rolled his eyes. _The price of this arrangement was almost too much for the reward._ But then he remembered that he only needed a few decades to regain his father’s trust, and he could escape Asgard. _But how to do this exactly?_

He sat on the bed and lay back. He knew two facts. 1: His parent’s reasoning for this marriage was that he might find love, return to normal, all that illogical mess. 2: He was a great actor, much better than the thespians of the palace. From these two facts, he could predict an outcome. If he could just pretend to be in love with his new wife for at least two decades, and pretend that he has repented and turned back to his old self, Odin and Frigga will be much more relaxed with his security. Then it would be no feat to escape Asgard and seek isolated refuge on one of the other Realms. 

Loki stood up and smiled. _Time to act._

He dropped the smile and put on a defeated expression. Then he slunk back out of his room and into the main chamber, where Maarika recoiled from where she was peeking through his papers on his desk and watched him with a wary eye. 

“Listen, Maarika,” he sighed. “I’m sorry about my behavior. I’ve just had a... stressful day of sorts. And I believe we should make the most of this arrangement. It’s not like either of us could go anywhere.” Loki explained, and cracked a smile, waiting for her response to his lies. 

Maarika watched him. He could almost hear the gears turning in her head, and imagined what she was going to say. _Oh, Loki, you are so sincere. I believe you. Let’s go to bed together!_

His glee was interrupted when Maarika started giggling. He was confused. “What’s going on?” he asked angrily. 

Maarika was outright laughing by now, and wiped a tear from her eye. “Did you actually think you could fool me with the ‘sorry’ act? That’s hilarious. You’re obviously just trying to use our relationship to gain your father’s trust so you can do something reckless with him not suspecting it.” she told him, and started laughing again. 

Loki was stunned. _How could she know? How could a stupid noble girl be this clever?_

“Honestly, you act like I’m a fool.” she continued, and sighed. “Listen, it’s late. And I’m tired. And I assume you only have one bed?” she half-stated, half-asked. 

Loki couldn’t answer immediately, he was still too shocked. He finally recovered when she raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Y-yes. Only one.” 

Maarika rolled her eyes. “Of course. Well, we will just have to work with it. I’m going to bed, and you can follow when you want.” she started to walk away, but turned with another thought on her mind. “And I advise you keep on your side, far away from me. I sleep with a dagger under my pillow.” And then she walked into his chambers and closed the door. A few seconds later, Loki saw the lamplight under the door go out.

He stood in the same place for a few minutes, still processing. _This girl is going to be more troublesome than originally anticipated._


	5. The Sorcerer vs The Sorceress

Chapter 5

 

Loki came to bed soon after. Though he hated the weakness, he was actually very tired. But nevertheless, he tried to stall as long as he could before he had to sleep next to Maarika. When he finally slunk in, he stripped down to his underclothes in a corner turned away from the bed, and then slid under the covers gently. Maarika was on her side facing the wall, and he was grateful for it. He didn’t want to see her face. 

The next morning, Loki woke early, but not early enough. The bed was empty, and he briefly wondered if Maarika had left before he remembered the chains his mother had wrapped around them. He then heard the water running in the bathroom, and realized she was taking a shower. Suddenly, the water stopped, and the door opened. Maarika’s eyes widened as she realized she was standing in front of Loki in just a towel, then reduced back to grey slits as she realized she didn’t care. 

“Throw me that robe. It’s on my pillow.” she commanded Loki, who looked bewildered for a second, then commenced to standing up and giving the silver silk robe to her. Their eyes locked for a second, and Loki smirked. 

“The silver brings out your eyes, darling.” he said with a smile. 

Maarika rolled her eyes and pushed past him. She opened the door to the wardrobe, where her clothes already hung next to Loki’s. She turned to him. “The servants brought my things this morning when you were sleeping, _darling._ ” Maarika told him, and after picking some random clothes off the rack, she passed him again to change in the bathroom. 

Maarika re-entered the bedroom minutes later, dressed in a loose fitting light blue dress and black sandals. She looked around the bedroom for Loki, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed and turned to walk into the main chamber, and jumped when he was standing right behind her. 

“How did you conceal yourself?” she asked angrily, picking up the robe that she dropped. 

“It’s pretty advanced magic. I doubt you’d know anything about that, though.” Loki said lazily, and Maarika’s anger surged. 

She had learned to change her form when she was but 17, but she had never heard of anyone being able to hide themselves that well. She decided to show Loki that she was _just about_ as capable as he was when it came to magic. 

Maarika closed her eyes and concentrated on the form she wanted, and was happy to see Loki’s horrified eyes as she took on the form of his mother. 

“Now, son. Is that any way to talk to your fiancee?” she asked in Frigga’s voice, and shifted back to her real self. “I know advanced magic, Loki. But I don’t know how you concealed yourself from me. Now if you could consider my credentials and get back to me with the answer to my question as soon as possible, that would be great. _Sir._ ” Maarika snapped, and stalked past him into the main chamber, where she dropped down onto the sofa with a huff. 

Loki was still in the hallway. _This girl has been making me speechless way too often to be normal. Who is she?_

He followed her soon after his inquisitive thoughts stopped flowing, and stood in front of her. She looked up at him with eyebrows raised. “That was quick,” she commented. “Ready to tell me how you did that?” 

Loki crossed his arms. “I’ll answer your question when you answer mine. Where did you learn magic?” 

Maarika thought for a minute, then crossed her arms too. “I asked first.” 

Loki’s eye twitched, and he brought a hand to his temple. “Just... answer the question.” 

Maarika looked at him as if he was a particularly unintelligent child. “No.” she told him stubbornly. 

 _I cannot believe her nerve!_ Loki brought his hand down, hard, on the sofa arm. “Where did you learn magic?” he asked again, louder. 

“You’re pathetic. Resorting to intimidation to try and make me tell you? It’s pitiful.” Maarika told him, standing up from the couch and conjuring a white hot flame in her palm. “But I can play that game too, my prince.” 

Loki looked at her, then at the flame in her hand. _Frost giants don’t do well with heat._

His eyes were full of as he sat down on the couch, staring up at her as she stood above him with one palm full of fire. “Fine, you childish wench.” he muttered. 

Maarika raised her hand, and the flame surged. “What was that?” 

Loki shook his head. “I said fine. The incantation for invisibility is but one word. _Usynlig._ ”

Maarika smiled, and the flame went out. “Wasn’t that easy?” she asked as she sat next to him on the sofa. “Now I will hold up my end of the bargain. I learned magic on my own. There was an incident when I was young, and I realized I had the capacity for sorcery, so I found spellbooks and practiced until I knew everything.” she explained. 

“ _Almost_ everything,” Loki reminded her. 

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve only been practicing for four years, mind you.” 

“Only four? How old _are_ you?” Loki asked, confused. 

“Nineteen. How old are you?” Maarika replied. 

Loki smiled. “I am one thousand and seventy eight years old.” he said, proud of his youth. 

Maarika’s jaw dropped and she scooted away from him. “Oh gods...” she whispered. “I thought it was a myth that the royal family and their warriors were immortal.” 

“It’s no myth. Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three are a bit older than I am. Gods know how old Odin is.” he chuckled, and was surprised when Maarika joined in. He looked at her, and she stopped immediately, the smile dropping from her face. 

"What are you looking at?" she asked, and got up from the sofa. 

"An aggressive and insolent child sorceress." he replied bitterly, and she walked away, into the personal chamber. 

"I'm not a child," she called before she slammed the door shut. 

_It's going to be a challenge to break her._


	6. The Chains

Chapter Six

 

Sometimes, it can feel as though just one day can ruin your entire life. This is what Loki and Maarika felt like the day after their magical stand-off. 

In the early morning, Maarika and Loki awoke at the same time, and they fought over the shower. When the servants came with breakfast, they fought over who got which foods. When they both wanted to read after breakfast, they fought over the same book. 

Maarika threw the book at Loki with a frustrated sigh. “Fine, take it you spoiled brat!” she yelled, and fled to the personal chamber, and slammed the door yet again. 

She threw herself on the bed and balled her fists. She wanted to scream. _Why must Loki be so difficult? What have I ever done to him? I knew he was an ass but I didn’t expect it to be this bad! For gods’ sakes, it’s barely been three days!_

The worst thing about this entire situation was the chains. Neither of them could get away from each other, and so they were suffocating in a toxic and unfamiliar atmosphere. Maarika desperately needed to go outside, but Loki didn’t like going outside the palace when he didn’t have to. _Perhaps I could force him._

With a new idea in mind, she hopped off the bed and ran out of the room and down the hallway. Loki looked at her, annoyed. “What are you doing?” 

Maarika didn’t answer, but instead grinned at him and ran out the door. She knew she only had 50 feet before the chains would come into effect, and either they would both see what happened when the chains were activated, or he would follow her. 

It just so happened that both of those things came true. Right before Maarika could reach the end of the hall, she fell down, hissing in agony. On the skin above her wrists and ankles, there were red burns, getting hotter and blistering even more every second she stayed away from Loki. Maarika gritted her teeth and writhed on the floor. But suddenly, the pain started to disappear. She turned her head and grinned when she saw Loki staggering as fast as he could towards her. Soon the pain was completely gone, and she got up, facing Loki. 

He looked like a monster- his hair was ruffled and out of its perfect combed-back state, his teeth were bared, his face was red and sweating, and he was still clutching his wrists. As soon as he was in reach, Loki reached out and viciously backhanded Maarika across the face. She fell to the floor yet again, and raised a hand to her face. She could imagine the large handprint, and was grateful Loki hadn’t been wearing any of his usual rings. 

“What were you thinking, you foolish creature? Have you gone mad?” he spat angrily, and grabbed her arm. “Come with me!” 

Maarika was terrified. She had messed with a man who had one thousand years of fighting experience. She had never seen him so angry, and her face stung from the slap. _To be fair, I did deserve it._

But she didn’t say that. “Where are you taking me?” she demanded, and tried to worm her way out of his grip. 

“Stop struggling!” Loki growled and tightened his grip. Maarika gave up. He was much stronger than her, which was saying something, since she was one of the strongest and agile people she knew. 

He turned down a dark hallway, and dragged her by the arm with one hand while the other slicked back his hair. He entered a small door, and Maarika realized it was a study of some sorts. 

“This is where we keep records of all official enemies of Asgard.” he explained, his voice pained, and he shoved her to the floor. His hand immediately went back to his wrist, which seemed to still be burning. She watched as he made his way to a desk in the back of the room, and pulled out papers until he found the one he wished to show her. 

Loki gave her the paper. “Read it aloud!” 

Maarika struggled to see in the dim light, but managed to read the words. 

“The Frost Giants of Jotunheim: Weaknesses

The Frost Giants are almost incapable of feeling normal pain. They can be hit and cut, but the only thing that will be hurt is their ego. Not to say you can’t kill them with a hit or a cut in the right place, but if one wants to hurt a Frost Giant, you must use fire. A burn is excruciating to a Jotun, and they will not recover for at least an hour.” she read, her voice trembling. 

Maarika looked up at Loki, who still looked extremely angry. “How is this relevant?” she asked nervously. 

He laughed shakily. “So you haven’t heard?” 

Maarika shook her head. “Heard what?” 

Loki’s smile faded, and he turned around, his head thrown back. He seemed to be concentrating on something. And when he turned around, Maarika could see what he was even in the dim light.

His pale skin had turned a frosty blue and his green eyes were now a fiery red. Loki had turned into a Jotun. 

“Is... is this a trick? An illusion?” Maarika shrieked as she backed up from him. She recalled she had once wanted to be a diplomat to Jotunheim, and immediately renounced that idea. He was almost terrifying. 

Loki laughed softly. “It is no trick. My real father was a Frost Giant. Odin picked me up as a souvenir on one of his quests. Touching, isn’t it?” he explained, and his skin started to melt back into creamy white. 

Maarika stared at him for a long minute as her initial panic faded, and he stared back. They said nothing. Then Maarika stood up and walked over to him. 

“I sincerely apologize for my actions. I did not realize the burns would hurt you so much. I just couldn’t stay in that room any longer. I... I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” She told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Loki cocked his head and looked deeper in her eyes. “There was no way you could have known,” he replied, and shrugged off her hand. He started walking towards the door, but Maarika still caught the wince as his wrist brushed his armor. 

“Loki, come here.” she said quietly. He turned around, eyebrows furrowed, but did as he was told. 

She gestured to a chair sitting against the wall. “Sit.” And he did. 

Maarika crouched down and gently grabbed his arm. Loki did not resist, but was instead curious to what she was going to do. She spread her hand over the red burn on his wrist, and a green flame shot out. Loki started to pull away, but stopped when he felt the cooling sensation on his burn. They sat there in the darkness, Maarika cooling and healing his burns and Loki observing her, for half an hour before the last of the redness around Loki’s wrists and ankles disappeared. 

“Again, Loki, accept my deepest apology.” she whispered and she rose with him. They walked to the door together. 

“I accept your apology. Let me offer my own.” Loki replied. 

Maarika looked at him. “You’ve done nothing.”

“I should not have hit you. I am a man and you are a woman, and it was not right. I was so angry, I didn’t think about what I was doing. I hope you can forgive me.” he said gently, looking down at the floor. 

Maarika smiled, and opened the door for both of them. “It’s alright.” 

 

-

 

Later that night when Maarika had gone to bed, Loki stayed on the sofa, thinking.

_I had turned into a Jotun right in front of her, and the only thing she did was ask me if it was a trick. She didn't call me an abomination or a monster. She apologized for not knowing that the burns would hurt me. She didn't even care that I had hit her. Sometimes I feel like she hates me, and I hate her. Sometimes I feel like we are rivals. Sometimes I feel like I can tolerate her, and she can tolerate me. But today I felt something different. I felt..._

Loki shook away the thought and entered the room where Maarika was sleeping. He stripped off his armor as usual, and slipped into the bed. She was facing him tonight. Loki looked at her face, and without thinking reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

He glared at his hand as if it had betrayed him, and willed away all thoughts of Maarika as he turned away from her and tried to sleep. 


	7. The Feast

Chapter Seven 

 

The rest of the week was quiet. There were no major fights, and the only arguments were about the efficiency of different incantations. Maarika had finally mastered the invisibility spell, so Loki and Maarika had taken to playing invisible hide-and-seek in their chambers. They laughed and teased each other when one happened to bump into the other during the game. It seemed like light-hearted fun, but in actuality, the week was devoted to forgetting their unusually intimate apologies in the dark study. Neither person wanted to fall in love with the other. They were both too proud. So they spent their time with pleasantries and games in order to ignore the stirrings they both felt. It was a good arrangement, they thought. And they were quite happy to continue as they were. 

Until the invitation came. 

Loki read it aloud to Maarika while sitting on the sofa. “You are both cordially invited to the engagement feast of Thor Odinson and... Jane Foster?” Loki sat up and ran his hand through his hair. 

“Who’s that?” asked Maarika curiously as she popped a grape into her mouth. 

“My brother’s mortal lover.” replied Loki, rolling his eyes. “He met her when he was exiled all those years ago. I don’t think you were alive back then.” 

“No, but I did hear of it. Do you not approve of her?” 

Loki tossed his head. “I think it’s stupid that Thor would fall in love with a mortal. They all die in less than a fifth of our lifetime. She’s from Midgard; she will never understand the ways of Asgard.” he told her disgustedly. 

Maarika raised her eyebrows. “She’s from Earth?” 

Loki nodded. “Yes. And?” 

Maarika sucked in a breath, then collapsed into laughter. Loki automatically smiled as he saw her laugh but quickly masked it. “What is it?” 

Maarika shook her head. “She’s going to hate you, do you realize that? You invaded her Realm.” 

Loki squinted. “You weren’t alive for that either!” 

“It doesn’t mean I don’t know about it!” 

They glared at each other until they started laughing. “Whatever,” said Loki. “We’ll go.” 

-

The night of the engagement feast, emotions were running high. Loki had been stressed all day and his temper was short. The slightest provocation from Maarika would set him off, and they were both in a foul mood. 

While Maarika got dressed in the bedroom, Loki combed his hair in the bathroom. He wouldn’t say it, but he was extremely nervous. Dinners with his family- or any contact with them at all, in fact- displeased him and always brought out the worst in him. The only thing he was hoping for tonight is that he wouldn’t get into any physical fights. He was afraid he would snap and seriously harm someone. _They would probably deserve it if I did._

When he felt satisfied with how he looked, he gave his armor a final adjustment, then stepped out into the bedroom. His breath was almost taken away by the woman in front of him. 

Maarika was wearing a long and flowing purple gown that was tight around the bust and loose around the hips. Her bust was further emphasized by a trim of long and thin plates  of gold that matched her dangling earrings. Her hair was curled and hanging lightly around her elbows. Loki had to restrain himself from reaching out and touching the soft strands. And her eyes were lined with gold liner that contrasted with the silvery grey of her irises. He snapped out of his reverie when she finally addressed him. 

“What are you staring at? Are you ready to go?” she questioned him, displeased with the staring. 

Loki nodded and silently led the way out of their room and towards the giant mead hall that lay all the way across the palace. Before they entered, Loki pulled Maarika to the side and leaned in close. 

“If I get out of hand, don’t hesitate to use magic to stop me.” he whispered. 

“What?” her eyes widened. “What do you mean, out of hand?” 

“I have a bad feeling about tonight. I don’t think it will go well. So if I start fighting, then stop me. Got it?” he asked quickly.

“Sure.” she answered dryly, and they made their way into the mead hall. 

As soon as they entered, everyone stopped talking and started staring. Clearly no one had told them that Loki was out of prison. A few whispered, but Loki couldn’t hear them. He didn’t want to. 

Thor made his way from the overcrowded feast table and approached Loki with a tentative smile. “Hello, brother.” he greeted Loki in a relatively quiet (for Thor, at least) voice. 

Loki looked at him meaningfully. “Hello, _Thor_.” he replied politely. “Where’s your newfound love?” 

“She is right over here,” Thor said, and gestured to her for her to come. As she approached, Maarika watched her carefully. She was of plain features, but had intelligent eyes. Those eyes were also angry, Maarika noted. Sure enough, as Jane Foster came up to greet Loki, she slapped him. 

Maarika conjured a flame in her palm and looked in Jane’s eyes. “Please be civil.” 

“Who are you? His fellow murdering bitch?” Jane asked rudely. 

“Jane! There is no need to hold a grudge against Maarika. She only recently met Loki and had nothing to do with New York!” Thor exclaimed, stepping in front of Jane. 

Maarika faintly recalled the name ‘New York”. _Isn’t that the place on Midgard that Loki invaded?_

Loki put his hand on Maarika’s arm with a silent message, and she put the flame out. After a few coarse words between Loki and Jane, Maarika linked arms with Loki in a show of a happy engagement and found seats at the feast table far away from Thor and Jane. Most of the people who sat around them fell silent and sat stiffly in their chairs, trying to avoid making eye contact with either of them. Loki and Maarika played the same game with each other, not speaking or lifting their eyes from the table. 

Soon, Frigga approached them with a smile on her face. “It’s good to see one of you has not killed the other already,” she remarked with a small laugh. 

Maarika smiled back. “I’m certainly happy that hasn’t happened, my queen. I’m sure I would miss Loki,” she teased. 

Loki’s mouth quirked and he rolled his eyes. “Remember who you’re talking about. They don’t call me the Trickster for no reason.” 

Maarika laughed and turned back to Frigga. “Thank you for the invitation, my queen.” 

“I knew Thor would want his brother here.”

“Thor isn’t my brother,” Loki interrupted. “Never has been, never will be.” 

Maarika scolded Loki before Frigga had a chance. “Don’t be insolent.” she said. 

Frigga smiled once more at them before walking away with a new hope in her heart for the rehabilitation of Loki.

A few silent seconds passed before Loki spoke up again. “It’s true. He’s really not my brother.” 

Maarika looked at him with pity in her eyes. _Why can’t he see that so many people love him and consider him their family? Why can’t he appreciate it?_

She said nothing and left Loki to his thoughts. A few minutes later, she left to go see what the holdup on the drinks was. When she came back, it was as if someone had reached in the hall and stirred everything up. Everyone was arguing, and of course, Loki was at the center of it all. 

She stalked towards him swiftly. 

“Who are you calling a goat, you stupid pig? You look like you’ve been trampled by a horse then stung by a bilgesnipe too many times to count!” he shouted at a random angry man as Maarika grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the mead hall. 

She pushed him against a wall and pinned his shoulders back, forcing him to look at her. “What happened?” she demanded. 

Loki laughed, and she could smell the mead on his breath. _How exactly does one get drunk in less than ten minutes?_  

“Well, that horse-faced mortal called me a ‘serial killer’. Some odd term they have on Midgard. Anyway, it was offensive and I started my defense by insulting her and every one of those drunkards that tried to protect her. They’re all idiots!” he explained, stopping every few words to hiccup and readjust himself. 

Maarika hung her head in disbelief, then snapped back up. “You’re the idiot, Loki.” 

These were her last words to him before she uttered the sleeping incantation. Since he was inebriated, he had little capacity to defend himself or counter-attack, so within seconds, he was on the floor sleeping. Maarika used the invisibility spell to hide him right by the mead hall door, and then used a transformation spell to turn into Loki himself. 

“I think I hate him,” she muttered as she walked back into the mead hall. 

Everyone turned at once and started shouting extremely rude things at her, some of which she had never even heard of before. She held her hands up in surrender and allowed herself to be pulled by Thor over to Jane. 

“Apologize!” Thor boomed. 

 _You are Loki now. Act like it._ Maarika crossed her arms and looked at Thor depreciatingly. “She should apologize first.” 

Thor looked at him incredulously. “Are you a child?” he asked angrily. “Apologize to my wife, Loki, or you shall indeed feel the might of my-”

“Your what... your wrath? Your hammer? I’ve seen it all before. The facts are, your wife insulted me first. So she should apologize first.” Maarika interrupted.

Thor turned to Jane. “Is this true?” he asked her. 

Jane looked at the floor. “He killed hundreds of people, Thor. I don’t have to apologize to  a murderer.” 

Maarika raised her finger in the air. “Actually, you do. That’s how apologies work.” 

Thor looked at him with a warning in his eyes. “Just go, Loki.” he said, and walked away with Jane. 

Maarika grinned and waved to the rest of the people in the mead hall. Then she quickly escaped and immediately changed back to her real form, panting. Holding a transforming spell for that long had been more tiring than she had expected. 

She slowly made her way over to where she had left Loki, and once she found him she reversed the invisibility spell to find him still asleep. “Of course.” she muttered as she used the last of her strength to use a levitation spell to float him all the way back to their chambers. It was a strange sight, and had any servants been walking around that night, they surely would have had much to gossip about. 

Finally, they made it back and Maarika immediately set Loki into bed. She didn’t dare to take his clothes off, but took hers off. She pushed him over onto his side, then climbed beneath the covers. She was just about to fall asleep when she felt Loki stir, then groan as she was sure the headache kicked in. 

Her heartbeat fluttered as she felt his fingers trail up her arm, and brush against her hair. “Thank you, darling.” he whispered, and the touch ceased as he rolled back onto his side. 

_What a wonderful ending to a terrible day._


	8. The Royal Training Grounds

 

Chapter Eight

 

The next day, Maarika woke up hours before Loki. She put on loose trousers and a leather tunic, tying her hair back tightly and winding it into a bun. She ate breakfast and stretched for an hour, making sure her body was in optimum condition. She had gotten lazy with her exercises since she had arrived at the palace and she was determined to change that. Soon after Maarika had finished her last stretch and had put on her boots, she heard a pained groan from the bedroom. With a little smile, she walked into the bedroom and knocked quietly on the doorframe before entering further. 

“Loki? Are you alright?” she asked quietly. A moan was her only response. 

Maarika quietly laughed and sat down on the bed next to Loki, who had his eyes screwed shut and his hands clutching his head. “I’ve never been able to hold my mead,” he whispered. 

Maarika patted him on the leg gently. “Don’t worry. I have the cure.” 

Loki opened his eyes curiously. “You do?” 

“Yes! Now come and get up.” she said, and jumped off the bed, grabbing Loki’s hands. 

After several minutes of struggling, she was able to get Loki out of bed, into some clothes, and on the sofa with food in his hands. She stared at him as he ate slowly, clearly still feeling the headache. 

Tentatively, Maarika reached out with her hand to hover above Loki’s forehead, and activated the green cooling flames. Loki visibly relaxed, and finished his breakfast quickly after closing his eyes for a few seconds to feel the flames flickering against his skin. She pulled her hand back as he stood up, but didn’t step back. Loki raised his eyebrows briefly, then let his hand brush hers as he walked past her. 

“So, what is your magic cure? Or,” he said, turning to face her, “was that it?” 

Maarika laughed. “Definitely not. We’re going outside today!” 

Loki blanched.

-

The original anticipation that Maarika had held for exercising on the royal training grounds quickly died down into annoyance and disappointment. It turned out that spring in central Asgard was much hotter than it had been in the north, and the ground was much dustier and easier to slip on. And while the training grounds were large, Maarika and Loki just couldn’t seem to escape the eyes of curious warriors or suspicious guards.  Even so, she was still excited to test both hers and Loki’s battle readiness. They picked their choice weapons from the many available racks, with Maarika picking a long curved sword and Loki sticking with his trusty long dagger. 

As they walked into the nearest training pen, Maarika looked back at Loki with a smirk. “I know you’re still in pain, so I’ll go easy on you.” 

“Don’t you dare.” 

“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re a lightweight.” Maarika laughed, and they squared off. 

What happened next was a bit of a confused blur to the average passerby, but each opponent knew exactly what they were doing. Loki started the offensive with a twirl to the right and a jab with his dagger, which Maarika quickly deflected by catching it with the hook at the end of the sword and pushing it back towards him. She continued by slashing at the throat, but Loki moved faster than anticipated and dodged under it, keeping low to the ground. He then attempted to trip her off her feet with a swipe of his legs, but she was too quick and jumped back. Maarika sensed her opportunity with him crouching, and she slashed upward with the hook, hoping to catch his face, but he brought his arm up and caught the sword with his dagger. There was a quick struggle, and then when Maarika realized he would win with pure strength, she decided to whirl out of the position and come to the side, kicking at his knee. Loki fell with a cry, and Maarika held her sword to his neck. They stood in that position for a few seconds but soon enough Loki had gathered the strength to twitch his dagger upwards between the sword and his neck, pushing outwards and upwards until Maarika was forced to let go of the sword or risk falling over him and getting stabbed. The sword flew across the training pen and landed in the dust.

Loki stood up swiftly and grinned at Maarika. “Thanks for taking it easy on me,” he quipped. 

Maarika growled at him as she shoved past to get her sword. “I demand another round!” 

-

They sparred non-stop until they couldn’t see anymore because it was so dark outside. Even then, Loki suggesting getting the servants to fetch some lamps, but Maarika was too tired to continue. So they limped back to their chambers, sweaty and covered in dirt. At the door, Maarika shoved Loki back and raced inside. 

He was confused for a minute before he realized what she was trying to do. “No!” he shouted, and chased after her. She laughed and slid into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. 

Loki whined and pounded on the door. “Come on! I won every match today! I deserve to shower first!” he yelled. 

“No!” she yelled back. “Since you won every match, I get to win _something_. And this is my something! I got here first.” 

Loki sighed and pounded weakly one last time on the door. “Come on...” he begged. 

“What do I get in return if I let you go first?” Maarika asked through the door. 

“My undying love, precious wife,” he teased, and she laughed. “Seriously, what do you want? I’ll give you anything if you let me shower first.” 

There was silence on the other side, then a laugh. “You have nothing I want.” Then Loki heard the shower running. 

He groaned and ran his hands through his messy hair. “You’re cold-hearted, Maarika.” 

Loki heard her giggle in the shower. “At least I’m not literally cold!” she yelled. 

He chuckled at the Frost Giant jab, and went to sit down on the sofa. He remembered how at first he had hated her, and pondered the transformation. _In barely a week, this girl has become one of my best friends. And she is to be my wife in less than two. Will it change anything?_

Loki decided that it wouldn’t. Being married to her wouldn’t change anything. He didn’t even need, or want at this point, an heir, so they would never have to sleep together. They could continue to be friends. _Just friends._  Why was that such an unpleasant thought? 

He closed his eyes and tried to rid himself of these awkward wonderings. It would only make their situation wierder. 

“Loki?” he heard a voice ask, and he opened his eyes to see Maarika standing before him in her flowing silk robe. “I called your name four times. I’m done with my shower, so you can have your turn now.” 

He nodded and rubbed his eyes, then got up and limped into the shower. The great mirror on the wall was fogged up with steam, except for a tiny message written in the corner. 

“Maybe next time I’ll let you share.” Loki read in a whisper, and smiled. _What a tease._

After his shower, he rubbed off all the fog from the mirror and looked at himself. He had gained back some of the muscle he had lost from being in prison, and looked healthier. This girl had been doing him good. That thought put a small curve on his lips, and he dressed in his green robe and walked to the bedroom. To his surprise, Maarika was still awake, reading a book. He tightened his robe around him. 

“I’d have thought you’d be asleep by now. Didn’t I tire you out enough by beating you thirty times in a row?” Loki teased gently, and walked over to his side of the bed. 

“I wanted to thank you for today. I know you don’t really like venturing outside your chambers.” Maarika said quietly, and he looked at her. She looked sincere, so he nodded in return. 

“It was enjoyable. I look forward to doing it again, soon.” he replied as he slid into bed next to her. “What book are you reading?” he asked. 

“Just some spellbook I found on your bookshelf,” she smiled. “Seriously, Loki. Thank you.” 

Loki’s eyes floated down to her pink lips then snapped back up when he realized how obvious he was being. “It’s no problem.” 

Maarika placed her hand on his wrist, and Loki looked at her inquisitively. He was sure she could feel his racing pulse beneath her fingers. 

“I’d like to kiss you, if that’s alright. After all, we _are_ engaged.” Maarika said, looking into his eyes. 

Loki grinned. “That’s the politest anyone’s ever been when asking me for a kiss.” 

Before Maarika could reply, he had leaned forward and taken her face in his hands, then pressed her lips to his own. 

The kiss was unlike any Maarika had ever experienced. His cool lips against her warm ones, moving in synch slowly and sweetly. Loki pulled away before she could deepen the kiss, and some part of her was glad. _I might have gotten ahead of myself had he not done that._

“Was that satisfactory?” Loki asked, his lips pink from the kiss. 

Maarika turned her head, pretending to think. “I’d give it a five out of ten.” she deadpanned, and Loki gaped before laughing. 

“I’m honored to have scored that high. I’m very rusty.” 

“Well, we have time to practice. We have to get it just right for the wedding, after all.” Maarika replied, and put the spellbook on the nightstand. “Good night, Loki.” she said as she blew out the candle. 

“Good night, darling.” 


	9. Loki's Epiphany

Chapter Nine

 

The next day, neither of them mentioned the kiss. They went about their day without any remarks about their engagement or upcoming wedding. Maarika lounged on the soda, too sore to move, while Loki stretched out on the rug and read. It may have looked as they were doing nothing, but their minds were fully occupied.

Maarika was worried about the implications of her recent romantic activity. She felt it made her look weak; she was afraid Loki would think she was just another love-addled noble girl who couldn’t wait to get married and have children. _Not that there’s anything wrong with that... it’s just not me._

Loki, on the other hand, was worried he would ruin his reputation of being somewhat of a player. He was known for his sexual conquests, and also for pretending to be in love with a girl just to end up fucking her and leaving. The only exception to that had been Sigyn. He winced at the name, and left the thought hanging. 

At midday, Loki yawned and stood up from his prostrate position. Maarika looked up from her hands, which she had been anxiously twisting. “What is it?” she asked. 

Loki held out his hand. “Want to go for a walk?” 

Maarika tilted her head, thought for a second, then accepted the offer. But she did not take his hand. 

It was a short walk to the palace gardens. They were situated almost directly around the corner from Loki’s room, and Maarika wondered why his window didn’t open on to them. After all, they were a beautiful sight. The flowers were in full bloom, and they proudly displayed an array of every color imaginable, all in beautiful rows and patterns. The path through the gardens was covered with carved wood, covered in bright green ivy. The gardens were the picture of life. 

Loki felt he looked out of place here. Pale skin. Dark hair and attire. He looked almost dead. _But Maarika, on the other hand..._

She loved the gardens. She looked radiant, basking in the rays of the sun with joy. He noticed a slight red tint visible in the sunlight that he hadn’t noticed before. Her eyes caught the light and sparkled when she smiled at him. 

“This is absolutely beautiful, Loki! Why haven’t we come here before?” she inquired happily.

“It’s not really the best place for me.” he said. “I’d prefer to be inside, honestly. But I know you like to go outside, and I just thought I might as well show you.” 

“This palace gets more and more interesting the longer I stay here.” _And so do the people in it._

“Are you really going to stay?” Loki asked seriously. 

She turned to look at him, worry creasing her forehead. “What?” 

“I mean, are you going to stay after your three weeks are up? I’m sure you can’t want to.  I’m a terror to live with, no?” Loki’s eyes were downcast. 

“I like to think we are friends now, Loki. I’ve been having a relatively good time at the palace. It holds more wonders than my family’s estate ever could. I will stay.” Maarika told him, her eyes catching his in a locked gaze. “You need to cheer up. Let’s play hide and seek again!” she suggested brightly. 

Loki grinned. “We’ll need to be careful, though. Only fifty feet, remember.” 

“Oh, yes. I remember that very well. When we feel even the slightest burn, we must turn visible again and find each other immediately. Deal?” 

“Deal.” They shook hands and agreed that Loki would count first. On the count of three, they turned invisible. 

Maarika immediately took the path to her right and listened to Loki’s counting grow fainter as she got further away. She turned to the left and almost screamed in her desperation to back up as she barely brushed Jane Foster and Thor taking a walk. 

She pressed herself into the bushes as they strode past each other, holding hands and talking. Interested, she followed. 

“I’m sorry for the other night, Thor. I just couldn’t stand the sight of him. And he looked so satisfied, too, with that girlfriend of his. He doesn’t deserve to be happy.” she said to Thor in a soft voice. 

“He’s my brother, Jane. Watch what you say.” 

“I don’t care that he’s your brother! He’s a mass murderer and a monster!” she raised her voice in anger. 

Thor grabbed Jane’s wrists. “You think I don’t know that? We are doing everything we can to rectify the mistake we made in letting him grow dark!” 

Jane raised her chin. “How did you _let_ him grow dark?” 

Thor let her go and continued walking with her at his side. “We let him fall in love with a criminal.”

Maarika perked up. _A criminal?_

“Her name was Sigyn,” Thor continued. “She was the daughter of the most famous thief and murderer in Asgard. He had promised to turn himself and his associates in to the royal guards if we secured a good life for his daughter. I didn’t want anything to do with her, because I had eavesdropped on my father while he was receiving this information. But of course, Loki took a liking to her immediately. I didn’t trust her. I didn’t like the fact that my father was negotiating with an enemy. They remained engaged for two weeks, and on the morning of the wedding, Sigyn left. We never found her or her father. My father suspected they escaped to another Realm. Soon after, Loki started acting out more seriously. I think that is what drove him to what he is now. My parents thought the same, and so they arranged another marriage with a very clever, upstanding girl. We’re not sure if it will work, but we are hoping for the best. You see, Jane? We _are_ trying. So just... leave him to us.” he finished, and just as he was saying the last words, Jane felt a hand on her arm. She turned around but saw nothing, and gasped as it tugged her into an adjacent path. Loki turned visible immediately, looking slighted. 

“Having fun?” he asked angrily. 

Maarika ignored the question, and instead asked one of her own. “How did you see me?” 

Loki shook his head in frustration. “You never disappear completely. Your edges are...” he waved his hand in the air. “...blurry.” 

“How long have you been following me?” 

“Since the beginning. I wanted you to think you had a chance.” 

Maarika sighed. “I’m sorry for listening in. I was just curious.” 

Loki’s lips pressed into a thin line. “What did you think of the story?” 

She waited for a moment as his eyes softened. “I thought it was sad.” 

He huffed. “I don’t need your pity. Let’s go. I knew coming here was a bad idea.” 

Maarika grabbed his arm aggressively and turned him around. “I’m not giving you my pity, you sulking idiot!” 

Loki looked slightly offended. “What did you just call me?” 

“A sulking idiot. Because that’s what you are. You always feel so sorry for yourself. Oh, so your family doesn’t share your blood? It doesn’t matter because they still love you and treat you as one of their own! Thor fell in love with a mortal? Get over it, Loki, because it doesn’t concern you. You always feel slighted and just love to sulk about it! And as for your story, I can recognize that it was sad how she left you _without_ giving you pity because I have faith in you that you can move on! Stop thinking that everyone feels sorry for you, Loki, because I assure you. They do not.” Maarika’s outburst was loud and vehemently directed towards him with a point of her finger. He was silent as she walked past him. “ _Now_ let’s go.” 

He followed silently as Maarika took long strides back to the chamber in anger. _Was I too harsh? No, I don_ ’ _t think I was. He needed that._

Before she could open the door, Loki grabbed her hand and slammed it shut. “Is that what you really think of me?” 

Maarika rolled her eyes. “Not the pity party again, Loki. Here’s what I think of you. I think you are clever, funny, quick, strong, proud, and extremely emotionally stunted. I think you are, at heart, a very interesting person. You have your tender moments, and you have your harsh ones. You don’t have to choose between two traits. A mix of good and bad is what you are, and what you will always be. You aren’t evil, but you are blind. I hope someone can open your eyes one day, so you will stop hurting the ones who love you in an ugly show of revenge.” And with that, she pried his hand off hers and opened the door for both of them. 

Loki followed slowly, thinking about her words. He thought about their significance. He thought about their relevance. And most of all, he thought about who they were coming from. 

He wasn’t angry at Maarika. He was angry at himself. For letting himself wallow this far into self-pity. She was completely right. He needed to stop focusing on the past, and letting it control his judgements. 

Maarika was leaning against the wall when he stepped into the bedroom. 

“I’m sorry if I was a bit harsh, but I think that-

She was interrupted by Loki grabbing her face and leaning in to kiss her. Maarika was surprised at first, but quickly reciprocated as Loki deepened the kiss. As rough as it started, it gentled and softened, and Loki stroked her hair and cheek. He pulled away with a sigh and locked his green eyes with her silver-grey ones. 

“Thank you for telling me that. I understand now.” he whispered, touching his forehead to hers. 

Maarika smiled. “I’m glad,” she replied, and kissed him again. 

After a few minutes, they broke apart with identical grins and went back to the main chamber to read. They had both forgotten their qualms of the morning, and were eager to see where this took them. It was an adventure that both were willing to undergo.


	10. The Tricky Little Buckle

Chapter Ten 

**Warning for mature content.**

After hours and hours of sitting inches apart on the sofa, doing nothing but stealing glances and pretending to read their books, Loki couldn’t take it anymore. It had been far too long since he had been properly... playful. And that side of him was just dying to be set free. 

In one long and elegant motion, he raised himself from the couch and put away his book neatly on a shelf. He glanced at Maarika over his shoulder, and turned around to face her, leaning against the bookshelf. He grinned at her. 

“May I ask you a favor?” he asked smoothly, never breaking eye contact. 

“It depends on what it is.” 

He raised one eyebrow and laughed. “Well, it’s not that big of a favor. I’m sure you’ll oblige.” He waited for a few seconds before continuing. “Would you mind helping me remove my armor? There’s a tricky little buckle in the back that always takes me a while to undo.” 

Maarika weighed her options. _It’s obvious what his goal is here. And I cannot lie to myself; it is one of my goals as well. So I think as long as I don’t look too eager, I can avoid ruining my reputation as a woman who controls herself, not someone who is manipulated by his advances._

She got up, refusing to smile back. “Sure,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. 

Loki sighed in relief. “Thank you,” he said, and started to undo the buckles in the front as he stepped forward to give Maarika more access to his back. 

She first unclipped the cape and set it on the floor, and then started unbuckling the leather underneath. After a few minutes, Loki had stripped down to a black, longsleeved undershirt and his leather pants. He turned around to Maarika and smirked as he pulled off his undershirt, leaving him shirtless in his pants and boots. 

He was pale, as Maarika had expected, but also oddly defined for a man of his build. She had expected him to be thin, but she could see the outlines of his abdominal muscles and two muscular ridges disappearing into his pants. His back was also very trim and as he bent to retrieve the clothing they had dropped onto the floor, she watched every muscle move in perfect alignment. 

Loki looked back at her with a gleam in his eye and a grin on his face. “I think I’m going to have a shower.” he stated, then started to walk away into the hallway. 

Maarika wondered if he was expecting her to offer herself to him. _He’s delusional._

He suddenly stopped, and faced her again. The smile was gone, replaced by a very intense expression on his face. “Would you like to join me?” His voice was sensual and _very_ convincing. 

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Why not?” 

Loki licked his lips as she caught up with him and opened the door to the bathroom. He tossed his clothes in the bedroom and came back to the bathroom, stopping as he saw her in the middle of taking her dress off. 

Loki came up behind her and finished unzipping her, helping her step out of the dress and kicking it out of the way as he suddenly pinned her against the wall and attacked her neck with his tongue and teeth. He sucked and nibbled while Maarika moaned and struggled until a large, pink mark was formed. He placed a gentle kiss on it and then a longer, more vicious one on her lips to set the tone for the night. They separated with a groan and Loki ran a hand up her arm. 

“One moment, darling.” 

He then turned the shower on and ran his hand through the stream, adjusting it until he got the perfect temperature. Maarika stepped forward and tugged at his pants. 

“Are you really going to shower in these?” she asked cheekily. 

Loki stayed silent as he quickly finished undressing. Maarika’s eyes widened as she saw he was already hard, and looked away so he wouldn’t notice her staring. However, Loki of course had already noticed, and so he repaid the gesture by admiring her full breasts and hips. Soon, he stepped into the shower, head rolled back into the stream. Maarika stepped in after a second of silent self-encouragement, and slid her hands around his neck. His head immediately snapped back down and they kissed, deeply and passionately. 

Loki kept his eyes open in the kiss, purely to gaze upon her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and her hands tightened in his hair. Suddenly, her grey eyes snapped open and she nipped at his lip, pulling his head back by the hair. Then she made a mark of her own on his skin, right in between his collarbone and the base of his neck. He moaned softly as she copied what he had done to her right back to him, and reveled in the feel of her teeth against his skin. After a minute she pulled back, satisfied.  

Loki looked down at her body and his, so close together. And then he started to caress her, running his hands up and down her body. He stopped at her breasts and brought his mouth to one of her nipples, sucking and biting while he worked on the other one with his hand. Every time she moaned, he grew more aroused and anticipated the moment when they would become one. 

Maarika was in ecstasy. There was no doubt about it, Loki was a magic lover. But she felt bad, receiving all the pleasure while he did all the work. So she inched her hands closer to his waist, running her fingertips across the delicate skin across his hips. She started to go lower, but Loki grabbed her wrist. 

“We’ll have time for that later,” he whispered in her ear, and placed her hand back on his waist. “I can pleasure you fully now, while I’m still in full control of my mental capacities. I’m afraid that if you touch me now...” Loki chuckled darkly. “I’ll never get enough.” 

And so she was quite happy to keep recieving. He soon lifted her in his arms and pressed her back against the shower wall, supporting her thighs with his shoulders and biceps as she tangled her fingers in his hair. He spread her legs and leaned in close.

He started by sucking lightly on her clit, making her arch her back and thrust forward for more. Loki grinned and continued, making sure she was very aroused before carefully sliding a finger inside of her, curling up to reach the G-spot. 

Maarika’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the intrusion, trying to figure out whether or not if it hurt or felt good. After a few more pumps of Loki’s long middle finger caressing the sensitive tissue inside of her, and his tongue and lips pleasuring the small bud of nerves on her outside, she decided it felt good. 

As Maarika’s moans became more needy and breathy, Loki continued to slide more fingers in her, ending with three. When she continued to squirm for more, Loki removed his fingers, earning a whimper, and set her down. Maarika’s legs almost gave out, and he caught her, laughing. 

“A little tired, are we?” Loki asked, hoisting her into his arms again. She rolled her eyes at him. 

“We need to get out of this shower.” she answered, rubbing her finger over the sensitive mark on Loki’s neck. He nodded, and turned off the water, walking naked through the hallway to the bed where he placed her gently down. 

He knelt above her on all fours, eyes blown wide with lust. Maarika could tell he was dying from waiting so long. So she grabbed his back and pressed his wet body down against hers, grinding against his cock. He groaned and mirrored the pressure, spreading her thighs wide with one hand. 

“Are you ready, darling?” he whispered, short of breath. Maarika nodded and told him to go gently. 

Slowly, he pressed his length into her. It was longer and thicker than his three fingers had been, and she needed to adjust. Loki waited as long as he could before he started to whimper with need, and slowly started to move. 

 _This is... different._ The sensation of Loki’s cock pumping in and out of her was surreal. She could feel everything: the ridges along his cock, the hairs at the base brushing her own as he buried himself to the hilt, and the way the rhythm got sloppier when she clenched her muscles around him. 

He bit her shoulder and tried to keep in his moans while snaking a hand between their grinding bodies to massage her clit. She nearly screamed at the combination of the friction inside and the pleasure on the outside. Then, Maarika started to feel an amazing sensation deep inside her, twisting and clawing its way out. And when it finally did find its way out of her, it came with a scream, and a tightening of muscles. Maarika’s eyes closed and her back arched as she experienced the best orgasm she had ever found at the hands of a man, or herself for that matter. 

As Maarika orgasmed beneath him, Loki was beginning to feel his own climx grow nearer. His thrusts lost their control as he neared the cliff, and he let out a throaty moan as he joined Maarika in ecstasy. 

The pair took a minute to ride out their highs, and then separated, sweaty and panting. Maarika smiled. _That went well._

Loki sighed, and perched on one elbow, facing her. He gazed at her spent body. She wasn’t shy after sex like most of the girls he had fucked, and didn’t cover herself up. Maarika had merely crossed her hands behind her head and waited until her breathing slowed back to normal. She looked back at him with a smirk. 

“I’m sure that buckle on your armor _was_ very hard to undo, but I think you had an ulterior motive.” she said slyly. 

Loki laughed and lay back like she was doing. “I didn’t hear any complaints.” 

After a silence, Maarika spoke up. “So what happens now?”

“What do you mean?” 

“Will this change anything?”

Loki shook his head. “It will be changed for the better. It will give us something to do at night rather than concentrate on staying on the extreme edges of the bed.” 

Maarika smacked his chest. “Also, I have a question.” 

Loki sighed. “As always. What is it?” 

“I’ve heard many rumours about you, Loki. About your very... adventurous sexual quests.” Maarika sat up. “Is it true you fucked a horse?” 

Loki blushed. “That was a long time ago.” 

Maarika burst out laughing. “So it is true! I had thought that one was surely just a myth!” 

Loki waved away her comment with a lazy hand. “Any other questions?” 

“Yes, actually. Tonight seemed pretty normal. For you, of course. Hearing all of those stories made me think you would be a little more...

“Kinky?” Loki choked. 

Maarika giggled again. “You said it, not me.” 

Loki sat up with her. “The only reason I tried to stay fairly docile tonight is because it was the first time you had ever had me. I didn’t want to... scare you off.” 

She grinned. “As if. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your other side. I’m sure you had to reign it in tonight.” 

Loki nodded sadly. “I really did.” 

Maarika smiled as she slid back down under the covers. “It’s been a long day, Loki, and I am very tired. I need to sleep.” 

“As do I.” he replied, and lay down with her. 

Suddenly, he pulled her roughly towards him. She squeaked and struggled for a minute before realizing he would never let her go. 


	11. Raseri is a Prick

Chapter 11

 

“Get out!” the man screamed, a vein bulging on his neck and both fists clenched. 

The small servant girl squeaked in terror and hurried out of the chamber, away from the vase she had accidentally knocked over that was now lying broken on the floor. The man slammed the door behind her and let out another scream of frustration, banging his hand against the nearby wall. 

“Why do they all have to be so idiotic?” he wondered aloud, and walked over to the shattered vase slowly and menacingly. He glared at the vase before opening his hand and directing it over the pieces. He nudged one with his foot, then flicked his wrist. Immediately, the pieces were crushed into a fine dust with the force of his magic. 

The man wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and tucked his short chestnut hair behind his ear. 

The towering figure stalked back over to the door and burst out of it, heading immediately for the servants’ chambers. He rudely entered without knocking and called loudly for the Head Servant. As the Head Servant scurried around the corner to meet his master, he was met with a sharp blow to the ear. 

“How _dare_ you send me such an incompetent bitch to clean my chambers? I demand to have the wench flogged!” the larger man spat, and pushed the servant away from him. “And I need another slave, immediately, to clean up the mess that other one left!” 

He swiftly strode away, but was interrupted by the voice of the Head Servant. 

“We are not slaves, sir.” The thin man’s voice trembled, but he held his head high to face the other’s. 

The tall man stopped abruptly, and redirected his course until he was standing right before the Head Servant, eyes filled with rage. 

“You are what I say you are, you pathetic rat.” the man whispered as he flexed his palm.  And as he did so, the unfortunate Head Servant slowly rose into the air, squirming and yelling for help. With a flick of his wrist and a flash of light, the Head Servant had disappeared. In his place, there was a skinny and very confused rat. 

As the man threw back his head in raucous laughter, one frightened servant made it past him, running down the halls in search for help. She found it unexpectedly when she  turned a corner rather suddenly and crashed into two figures. 

Shaking, she helped them up with many apologies and nearly screamed in delight when she found it was Loki and his new fiancee, Maarika. The girl knew only a sorcerer could help them escape from the violent man who was terrorizing the servants. 

“Please, my prince Loki, help us!” she begged, throwing herself at his feet. 

Loki stepped back, uncertain. “What are you talking about, girl?” 

“Some royal- he is acting like he is some mindless beast. He just turned the Head into a rat and I believe he will cause more trouble and hurt others if someone doesn’t stop him!” she explained, breathless.

Loki and Maarika exchanged confused looks before allowing themselves to be led back to the servants chamber. 

What they saw shocked and scared them- the boldness of this visitor was too much to believe. He was leaning up against the wall, holding a tearful servant girl by the hip, all the while he laughed and spun another girl around in the air. 

Loki immediately cast a spell that blew his levitation incantation away and the girl tumbled to the ground, sobbing. The man’s gaze snapped to Loki, and he grinned and shoved the servant girl from his arms to the floor. 

“Loki!” the man exclaimed in a faux show of happiness. “How have you been, my friend?” 

Maarika looked up at Loki. “You know this man?” she whispered. 

Loki ignored her, but the other man had caught her words.

“What? Afraid to tell your pretty little woman about me?” He covered his heart mockingly. “Such betrayal. But fortunately for you, I forgive easily.” 

The man grinned once again and turned his eyes to Maarika. “I am Raseri. I own a sizable estate in the south. Perhaps you two could come for your honeymoon, surely you would enjoy it.” 

“We don’t want to visit your estate, Raseri.” Loki interrupted, his voice laced with a subtle venom that Maarika had never heard from him before, even when they had fought. 

Raseri creased his eyebrows. “And why is that?” 

“You know exactly why.” Loki answered, and the two men stood staring each other down for a tense minute before Raseri smirked. 

“I’m sure I do not. Anyway, why did you come? Here to join the fun?” he laughed. 

Maarika scoffed. “What fun, you brute?” 

Loki’s hand closed on hers with a warning squeeze. She could almost hear him say “Don’t.” 

Loki opened his mouth before Raseri could reply to Maarika’s remark. “I am here to tell you to remember that you are a visitor here, Raseri. You have but minimal authority over these servants.” 

Raseri gaped. “Defending the slaves now, are we? I remember when you and I used to play tricks on them all day!” 

Loki rolled his eyes at this. “That was eight centuries ago. This conversation is over. If I hear of any more trouble caused by you, I will bring the matter to the Allfather.”

With a wave of his hand, the rat that had been cowering in the corner turned back into a man, and all the servants ran into their nearby chamber and locked the door behind them. Loki motioned for Maarika to follow him as he strode away from the scene. 

But Raseri wouldn’t let it end that easily. “It really is a strange word, isn’t it?” he called out after them, taking a small step. “Allfather.” 

Loki turned around sharply on his heel and fixed Raseri in his gaze. “Why do you say this?”

“Well...” he trailed off with a chuckle. “He isn’t really everyone’s _father_ , is he?” He took another step, and leaned in, comically stage whispering. “Not even his own sons’.”

Loki bared his teeth and emitted what Maarika could only describe as a hiss as he leapt forward to Raseri. While Raseri was tall and imposing, Loki was more so, and he bent down demeaningly to glare in his face. Raseri only answered with a grin. 

“Touched a nerve, have I?” he smiled. “Though I suppose that shouldn’t be possible. Since all of yours are somewhat... _frozen_.” 

Loki reared back and yelled gutturally as he struck Raseri across the face. Maarika gasped. _Damn, he has a thing for slapping people._

“How could you be so insolent? You are talking to a _Prince_ of Asgard, you worthless gutter trash! Get out of my sight before I end your miserable life here and now!” he raged, shoving Raseri back with both hands. 

When Raseri finally looked up, it was with a deep seated and calm rage. His eyes revealed the psychopath’s anger. “I will not forget this, Laufeyson.” he whispered lowly, and turned his back and strode with purpose around the corner, where he disappeared. 

Loki let out a huge breath, and rubbed his temple. “Oh gods.” he moaned. 

Maarika’s eyes were wide with shock at what she had just witnessed over the past few minutes. “What in Odin’s name was that?” 

-

Maarika settled into the sofa, watching Loki pace back and forth in front of her. “Are you ready to tell me?” 

Loki glanced at her. “Why must you be so curious? And bold?” 

Maarika shrugged. “Why must you have so many enemies?” 

Loki sighed. “Fine. I suppose you must know.” he paced faster as he prepared his next words carefully. He then explained slowly and quietly how he had gotten into this mess.

“Raseri is my cousin. Or more precisely, Frigga’s sister’s son. Frigga’s sister died after he was born, so he had been living with his father in his southern estate. He has Aesir blood in his veins unlike his father, so when his father died, Raseri was merely an adolescent. He then inherited the estate, but transferred all authority over to a large servant family. I knew this about him from my mother, but I only met Raseri around eight centuries ago. It had been a week since Sigyn had left me, and I was spending most of my time in the mead-hall. He came to me one night as I was leaving for my chambers. He said he could help me overcome my grief. I was so raw that my pride didn’t even register, and I agreed to meet him the next day. Actually, I’m surprised I was even able to remember I had promised him that, since I was so drunk. Anyway, we met in the gardens, and he told me everything about Sigyn. How her love for me had been arranged, how she was the daughter of a criminal: everything my fath- Odin- had neglected to inform me. Raseri told me that he had been friends with her, and that he had been subject to many late-night confessions by Sigyn about how much she hated me. I, at first, did not believe him of course. But the talks got more detailed, and he seemed to know every time that Sigyn had been away from me- the date, the hour, the place. Eventually I thanked him for giving me the information. I still am grateful to him for that- he helped me to overcome my grief and realize that I had been tricked. But that is the only thing I am grateful to him for. Because soon after that, we became friends- the most mischievous pair in Asgard. I was already bad enough by myself; when we joined, it was pure chaos. As we grew over the next century, Raseri wanted to try more dangerous things. I went along with most of them and we earned a new reputation. People wanted to stay away from us, and we weren’t holding as much charm as we had before- even the girls wouldn’t keep us company. It wasn’t just playful fun anymore, it was dangerous. I was too blind to see that. And then one day, Raseri bragged about a servant girl he had fucked the night before. I saw right through his weak lies, and knew that he had crossed a line that I would never stand. I cut myself off from him, knowing it had gone too far. He left Asgard and isolated himself in his estate- I thought I would never have to deal with him again. Raseri has never forgiven me for going soft. Now he has come back to take his revenge. And it looks like he’s picked up a few tricks along the way. He seems stronger than before. But that must be the effect of a few centuries.” Loki sighed as he finished his speech, and looked at Maarika for her reaction. 

“That is... complicated.” she managed, and took a sip of the nearly-empty glass of mead in her hand. 

Loki looked at her surprisedly. “That’s all you have to say?”

She shook her head. “Why don’t you just banish him from Asgard?” 

He rolled his eyes. “He knows how to hide. The guards are idiots, they would never find him.” 

“Kill him, then.” 

Loki’s eyes widened. “I can’t just kill him!” 

“Why not?” 

“It’s... not honorable!” 

“When have you ever cared about being honorable?” Maarika smirked, and finished the glass. “If you really think he’s that big of a threat, why not just take him out?” 

Loki’s eyes were downcast. “If I kill him, there will be consequences.” 

Maarika pursed her lips. “Fine. I will kill him.” 

Loki grabbed her wrist. “Don’t jest about that!” 

“Who said I was jesting? I believe he is a threat to my happiness and my fiance’s happiness. The threat will be eliminated, Loki. If you can’t do it, then I will.” she growled, and pulled her hand free. 

_I won’t let this monster get in our way, Loki. Just trust me._


	12. How Couples Communicate

Chapter Twelve

**Warning for mature content.**

 

The couple had been giving each other the silent treatment for the last two days, both too prideful to be the one to speak first. Each had very different ideas about what they must do next to make sure Raseri didn’t try to inflict his revenge on Loki. 

Loki felt that Maarika was being too flippant about the very real danger that Raseri posed to her safety. He thought that since Raseri was his problem and his problem alone, Maarika should stand down and let him handle it. He knew Raseri’s thirst for revenge couldn’t be quenched by a mere battle- no, he would want to destroy him completely, for Raseri had valued loyalty more than anything and Loki had left their friendship with little more than a ‘farewell’. He was afraid that Raseri might go after Maarika, and end up overpowering her. After all, he was much older and much stronger, with a twisted moral compass and extremely violent imagination. 

Maarika disagreed vehemently. She felt since she and Loki were now a pair, they would be able to team up and protect themselves. She had no idea what Raseri’s idea of revenge was, but she was confident that they could face it together with barely a scratch. Maarika had apologized for her careless remark about facing Raseri alone, for she knew that it was an idiotic thing to even think about considering Raseri’s abilities, but she stood true to her words that his threat must be eliminated. 

While the couple’s standoff continued to be unproductive and childish, Raseri had been busy planning. With a few clever words, he had managed to both find and charm the manager of Loki and Maarika’s wedding. Getting the information out of her was easy: Raseri was a handsome man, and he had learned that pretending to be interested in a woman’s work had always been a sure way to both gain the information he needed and get under her skirts. After some fun, he had returned to his chambers and thought about the information he had received. As violent and impulsive as he was, he knew the only way he could beat the intuitive Loki was to strategize very carefully about his plan of attack. Loki and Maarika’s wedding was to be held in one week exactly, in the royal reception hall, with the entirety of the palace attending plus some nobles from surrounding estates. Odin would be proceeding, of course, and an all-night feast in the mead hall would continue the festivities after the two had been proclaimed man and wife. 

_What are my options? Kill him with a slow-burning incantation as he is about to kiss his new wife at the altar? Transform myself into a slave and poison his mead at the feast afterwards? No... I have a better idea._

-

The two mages sat on the sofa, faced towards each other. The looks they were pulling were enough to terrify any normal person, but they had been glaring at each other like monsters for the last hour. Silently, they were daring each other to speak first, since both were dying to talk to one another. Loki had resolved to not let this powerful woman take what was left of his belligerence away from him, and had swore to himself not to speak first. Maarika had sworn the same exact thing, except she had something she could use to tease the words out of Loki. 

With a smirk, she leaned back against the arm of the sofa, taking her dark hair out of the tight ponytail she had pulled it into. It bounced out, laying thickly across her breasts and curling upwards down by her elbows. Maarika raised her arm lazily and traced the outline of her lips faintly, as her eyes closed halfway in a sultry gaze. 

Loki swallowed. _What is she doing now? Trying to make me speak?_

Maarika raised her eyebrows and lifted her legs from the ground to Loki’s crotch, where she stretched them as he slightly gasped. She sighed heavily as Loki’s mouth snapped shut, and continued to knead her feet against his pants, laughing softly to herself as she felt him grow hard, and his eyes fluttered closed. 

Suddenly, she pulled away and Loki’s eyes opened immediately, desperate for more content but too proud to say so. Maarika shifted her body so she was sitting right in front of him, legs wrapped around his back and hands clasped around his neck. Loki looked to the left, down to the ground, at her shoulders- anywhere but her eyes, for he knew that if he looked there he would fall apart. 

With one hand, Maarika traced the outline of his lips like she had been doing to herself a moment before, brushing her thumb against their softness. Then and there, Loki decided to fight back, tilting his head forward and taking her index finger into his mouth, sucking and nibbling, making deliciously wet sounds as he did so. Maarika was pleased at this turn of events, and pulled Loki’s mouth closer to her until they were kissing. She attempted to take the lead, but he had centuries of practice and so he quickly established dominance and tightened one of his hands in her hair as she did the same to him. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, enjoying the taste and feel of each other’s tongues, until Loki’s hand snuck under her dress and grabbed her ass, pulling her closer to him. Maarika accidentally let out a small moan at that, and Loki grinned at the little victory. He wanted to make her scream his name for two reasons: one, he would win the unofficially established silent competition; two, he would just love to hear her high, throaty moan forming the syllables of his name. 

Maarika was appalled at her slip, and decided she couldn’t let herself do it again. So she pulled away from Loki’s mouth, smiling at Loki’s little groan of loss. Then, to his surprise, she began tugging at his trousers. He gladly helped her before he realized what he was condemning himself to endure in silence, and prepared himself for the task ahead. 

Maarika on the other hand was happy that she would have something to occupy her mouth, and was now completely confident that she would have Loki speaking in a matter of minutes. After ripping off the rest of the fabric surrounding his groin, she took a minute to appreciate the sight of his cock standing to attention, just for her. _Such a power trip._

She reached out and took it firmly from the base, giving it a quick swipe upwards and swirling her thumb over the glistening tip, using the pre-cum that had accumulated to facilitate the pump back down. Then she spread his legs and bent over from her kneeling position on the sofa to take his cock in her mouth. She started at the tip, swiping her tongue over it and sucking lightly, making him jerk, before slowly making her way down, licking and hollowing her cheeks out around the rest of the shaft. After a few seconds of this, Loki was already making little moans and grunts of encouragement, and had started clenching and unclenching his fists. She re-focused her mouth on the pink head, blowing cool air then surrounding it back in the heat of her lips, while one hand lazily pumped his shaft. Loki whined and grabbed Maarika’s hair, pushing her down on his cock roughly- to which she responded by circling her fingers around the very base and using her other hands to stroke his balls lightly. She could feel him tightening up, and as soon as he was about to come, she squeezed the base with her encircled fingers, registering his orgasm impossible. Loki cursed in disbelief and Maarika could hardly keep from grinning. _Just one word, Loki..._

Loki knew what the word was. And he weighed his options. A powerful orgasm by the mouth of a girl he very much admired, versus winning a stupid competition. _Oh gods, I’m going to lose._

“Please,” he whimpered brokenly, and Maarika released her fingers with a hum around his cock, and after a few seconds of her ministrations, he came with a loud moan into her mouth. 

She swallowed with a splutter, and dragged herself up from Loki’s lap to share the taste with him. After the brief osculation, they pulled apart and Loki re-clasped his trousers, sighing. 

“I’m sorry I was such a stubborn arse, darling. Perhaps if we had just listened to each other, we could have done this much earlier,” he said to her with a cheeky smile. 

Maarika laughed. “I’m sure we can come to a very agreeable compromise. And then, we can celebrate that compromise.” 

“How much?” 

“As much as we want.” 

“Our wedding is in a week, darling. Don’t you want to wait until that night?” he asked sarcastically. 

Maarika rolled her eyes. “Gods know you wouldn’t be able to last that long without going mad from temptation.”

Loki smiled in agreement, raking his eyes over her. “You _are_ pretty tempting.” 

“To be fair, so are you. But I think I have more self-control than you.” 

Loki chuckled softly, his hand traveling up her thigh. “Really... more self control than I? Let’s see how long _you_ last with my head between your thighs.” 

“... _oh_!”

 

 


	13. A Basic Transformation

Chapter 13

**Warning for mature content.**

Frigga grinned at Odin. “They are positively in love!” 

Odin rolled his eyes. “How do you know Loki’s not just trying to trick us?”

“I know when my son is being sincere.” 

The king and queen were on their weekly walk through the palace gardens, talking about anything and everything that came to their mind. Frigga had been quite preoccupied with the relationship of Loki and Maarika and so she could not help but share her thoughts with Odin.

Odin was silent, and Frigga continued. “I want to take the chains off of them. I trust both of them now, and I want to see how they will do if they are given the opportunity to be apart.” 

He raised his eyebrows. “And if Loki tries to escape?” 

Frigga sighed. “Then our plan would have failed, and he would have to go back to prison for the rest of his sentence. But I believe he has grown over the last two weeks, and that Maarika has managed to change his ways.”

“As you wish, my dear.” 

After their walk, Frigga joined Maarika and Loki for an afternoon luncheon, and unbound them. It was strange at first, because they were so used to staying close to each other at all times. But soon, they were devising new ways to use their newfound freedom. 

“We could finally play a proper game of hide and seek!” Maarika suggested.

“Invisibly, of course.” 

“Of course.”

The two had not been unbound for more than four hours before Loki decided to visit the library. Maarika was quite content with staying in their chamber and finishing the book she was reading, and Loki had promised to be back soon with more books, so they parted. 

As Loki strode briskly through the halls, he passed a guard who, when he saw Loki, strangely smiled at him and continued walking. 

Loki shook his head and continued walking. “Idiot.” he muttered under his breath, and made his way to the library. 

However, a few minutes later, Maarika looked up from her book to notice that Loki had returned from the library. “Why are you back so early.” 

He shrugged. “It feels odd, being away from you. I’d much rather take you with me to the library, later.” 

“Why can’t we go now?” 

Loki smiled crookedly, an expression that Maarika had not seen before. “I have another idea.” he whispered, and in one long stride, came up to her and kissed her mouth hungrily. Maarika squeaked surprisedly, and fell back against the sofa.

He greedily roamed his hands up and down her dress, ripping and pulling at it. “Take this off,” he barked hoarsely. 

She obliged, feeling kind of turned on by this rough behavior. Loki usually liked to tease and take his time, but now he was acting desperate. 

He pulled her naked body towards his fully clothed one, and grabbed her ass, making her yelp. Quickly, he shed his trousers to reveal his eagerness, and after preparing her briefly with his fingers, he slammed his cock into her. Maarika screamed, both in pain and pleasure, trying to adjust to his size. He didn’t lose much time, however, and started to thrust faster and faster. Loki hooked one of her legs around his shoulder, pumping in with a new angle, making her moan as he hit the deepest parts inside of her. 

He pressed close to her, bending his neck down so his mouth could reach her collarbone. There he proceeded to leave the darkest, most visible mark he could, sucking and biting at her sensitive skin. 

Maarika could feel her climax beginning in her abdomen, and knew Loki was getting there too, since his thrusts were getting more and more erratic. He bit her earlobe and whispered hotly, “Come for me.”

She did as she was told, screaming his name, and he followed moments later. He pulled out roughly in the midst of the afterglow, and she stared at him as he put his trousers back on. “Where are you going?” 

“I need to go.” he said, and left her on the sofa, naked and spent. _What in Hel was that?_

Maarika put her dress back on silently and tried to shake the bad feeling that was coiling in her gut. Something had been off. She tried to think of what it was, but couldn’t bring it to mind. Maarika rolled back over on the couch, ignoring the soreness in between her legs, and continued reading her books. A minute later, the door to the chamber opened again, and she looked up in surprise. 

Loki came in hurriedly, dragging a cart of books behind him. Maarika furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. “I thought you didn’t go to the library.” 

Loki looked up, confused. “What? That was the whole point of me leaving.” 

“Are you drunk?” 

Loki raised his eyebrows. “What?!”

Maarika walked over to him and put her hand on his forehead. Cool, as always. _Cool..._

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she clutched both hands to her chest. _That’s what was off. Loki wasn’t cool a minute ago. His skin was burning up._

She looked at her fiance with tears in her eyes and cursed. Loki grabbed her forearms, looking deeply into her eyes. “Maarika? Darling? What’s wrong?” 

“Loki... I just fucked someone else.” 

He pulled back. “Excuse me?” 

“He looked like you. He came in a minute ago. And he said he was you, and he said that he couldn’t bear to leave me. And then we... we fucked. And he had just left when you came back. And I...” a quick sob escaped her and she forced it back down. “I didn’t even realize until now.” 

Loki was still, then raked his fingers through his hair. “And you say he looked like me?” 

“He _was_ you, Loki. A basic transformation.” 

“Alright, darling. I can fix this.” he whispered, then ran out of the chamber. 

“Loki!” she screamed after him. 

-

Loki ran through the halls of the palace, cursing and muttering to himself. He knew exactly who the perpetrator was, and the rage surging through his veins was ice-cold. 

As he turned a dark corner, he pulled his long dagger out of its sheath on his armored belt, and held it with one hand, ready to conjure an injurious spell with the other. A servant girl hurried past him, and he turned to grab her arm, making her shriek. 

“Where is Raseri?” he demanded. 

“Who, my prince?” 

“The man who was abusing all of you last week. The tall one. Where is he?” 

“I think he is down this hall and to the left, my prince.” 

He let go of her arm and continued running down the hall, following her directions. When he turned the corner, he found a single door, large and black. _This is it._

Loki opened the door carefully, tensing for an attack. When he entered the room, it was completely dark. He spotted a candle near the inside of the wall and lit it with a small incantation. It glowed, revealing a large and sparsely decorated chamber. Basic furniture was placed throughout, and it was completely empty. _Where are you?_

He crept through the chamber, looking for any sign of life, ready to take it away. Then he noticed a small door on the left. Quietly he hurried towards it, and opened it quickly, readying his dagger. But no one stood behind it- instead, it opened to a narrow unlit hallway. Loki was about to enter, but stilled when a figure stepped out from a door at the end of it. He could see it was a woman. _One of Raseri’s prostitutes?_

“Show yourself!” Loki commanded, conjuring a green light in his palm. The figure made its way to him, taking its time. When she finally showed her face, Loki’s light flickered out in surprise, and they were left in the dark. 

-

Maarika was in their room, pacing. She had wanted to follow Loki, but he disappeared so fast, she couldn’t track him. Now she was waiting for his return. 

Maarika was not a patient woman. In fact, she was known for her impatience and love for all things fast. So after ten minutes, she decided to go out and find Loki. She was pretty sure she knew where he was headed, anyway. 

After finding a servant who told her the directions to Raseri’s chambers, she made her way instead to the training grounds, looking for the rack of weapons that her and Loki had used the previous week when sparring.When she finally found it, she easily pulled out her favorite curved sword. _Raseri has no chance._

After admiring its sharp edge with a gleam in her eye, she ran back into the palace and tried to follow the path the servant had described as best she could without being seen, but was soon stopped by a guard. 

“Why do you have a weapon, my lady?” he asked, hand on his sword’s hilt. 

“None of your business.” she replied bitterly. “Could you move? I have something to do.” Maarika brushed past him, but he grabbed her arm. 

“Now, now. What important business would this be?” he asked softly. 

Maarika cocked her head, eyeing him. “Do you know who I am?” 

“Oh yes, my lady. A better question to ask would be, do you know you _I_ am?” the guard grinned, and Maarika frowned. 

“I do not.” she replied, backing up slowly, bringing the curve of the sword in front of her. 

The guard’s edges wavered, and she gasped, startled. The guard’s image flickered, and she lashed out with her sword. It went right through him, before he disappeared. Maarika stared at the empty spot where the guard had stood, and suddenly everything went dark, and she fell to the floor. 

- 

Loki recovered quickly, conjuring the light back and tightening his hand around the dagger. But he could not believe his eyes. He studied the woman’s face for minutes, each detail sparking a different memory. Finally he spoke. 

“Sigyn?” 

 


	14. Author's Note

Hello everyone.

I'd just like to thank everyone for their support for this story, and just say that I haven't forgotten about updating! I've been busy with school and have recently gotten sick so it has taken me a while to get in the mood of writing. I hope to update very soon, within the next few days. I'm so sorry for making everyone wait on such a big cliffhanger!

Love,

Veronica


	15. Raseri Did What?!

Chapter 15

 

A warm liquid trickled down between the fine hairs on Maarika’s head, dripping down onto her cheek. Her face twitched, trying to identify the substance that had interrupted her sleep. The drop rolled down to the corner of her mouth, and her tongue darted out to taste it. A metallic taste assaulted her tongue and she grimaced. _Blood._ Her sense of harm was furthered when she felt her head ache where she had been supposedly hit, and focused on ignoring the pain. 

Her eyes slowly opened, on the lookout for anyone else in the room. It was a waste of energy- she couldn’t see at all. Complete darkness enveloped her. In addition to the lack of light, there was also a lack of sound. She could neither see nor hear anything, and so she assumed she was alone, wherever she was. 

As Maarika woke up and her head started to clear, she started to go through her mental checklist.

_Am I tied up?_ This question was answered when she tried to lift her arms and immediately her wrists were burned, as they had been when she had tested Frigga’s chains. Her ankles were also hurt when she tried to lift them. _So, magical chains._

She knew she wasn’t blindfolded or gagged, and without a sense of sight, she had nothing. She could only wait until something happened. 

And after a few minutes of waiting, something did. Her head perked up immediately from where it had been drooping on her chest when there was a small squeak from somewhere behind her. _A door?_

This hypothesis was proven true when she heard the answering sound of a thud- the closing of a door. Slowly and somewhat menacingly, calm and unhurried footsteps approached her from behind. They stopped, and Maarika couldn’t decide if it was in her imagination or it was reality that she could feel breath on her neck. 

Suddenly, the mysterious person spoke, and she recognized the voice immediately. “Hello, Maarika.” 

She swallowed, readying herself for whatever was to come. “Raseri.” 

He laughed. “You don’t sound too enthusiastic.” 

“I’m sure I’d be much more _enthusiastic_ if I could actually see your lovely face.” 

Another laugh. “I’m sure you would.” His footsteps started away from her, and after a moment the room brightened as a candle was lit. Raseri kept going around the room, lighting candles with a flame from his palm, until they could both see comfortably. Maarika took this opportunity to look around at her surroundings. 

It appeared she was in the middle of a medium-sized chamber, with the door at her back. The walls looked solid and window-less, as did the floor. It was dank, and musty. Various objects lay around in the corner, broken and dusty. _A storage room in one of the underground floors?_

Raseri broke her concentration when he slowly and annoyingly dragged a chair from the opposite corner of the room, until it was right in front of her. He sat, looking in her eyes the entire time, and crossed his thin legs. He was tall even while sitting, and looked down at her. She stared right back at him, clenching her fists in spite of her attempt to stay cool. 

“I enjoyed our time together.” he spoke, the sound raspy and low in his throat. 

Maarika’s temper flared, and she struggled to remain calm. “What was the point of that, by the way?” she asked. “Was it just to antagonize Loki?”

Raseri chuckled. “Most definitely. I knew he would want to kill me after he realized that I was the one that had fucked his wife.” 

“Raped.” 

His laugh stopped. “What did you say?” 

“You didn’t fuck me, you raped me.” Maarika lifted her chin defiantly. “It’s one of the most cowardly things a man could do. I’m not sure you even _are_ a man, honestly, you look more like a pig-

Her sentence was cut off with a sharp slap to her face. “Silence, whore.” He abruptly got up from his seat and waved his hand in the air. “Call it what you will, my cock still had the pleasure of meeting your cunt.” He turned around and faced the wall. “Did Loki come after me?” 

Maarika wetted her now bloody lip before answering. “Yes, as you knew he would.”

She could almost imagine the atrocious smile on his face as he replied. “What he has waiting for him is going to knock you right off of the playing field, my dear.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and her head swam in dizziness and confusion. “What are you talking about?” 

Raseri looked over his shoulder at her, before fully turning with a grin. “I’m talking about Sigyn.” 

-

Loki was stunned. A thousand thoughts raced through his head in a matter of seconds, each providing a new explanation for what he was seeing. 

Sigyn looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with tears. “Loki,” she whispered, and reached her long and pale arm to stroke his cheek. “I’ve missed you.” 

He jerked away after a moment. “How can you be here? You left me.” 

Sigyn sighed sadly, and brushed an unruly strand of dark hair away from her face. “I didn’t want to, Loki, you must believe me.” 

Suddenly, a thought crossed Loki’s mind, and he spoke out. “How are you even alive? It’s been hundreds and hundreds of years since you were in Asgard. My father was going to give you a golden apple on our wedding day, but... he couldn’t have, because you were _not there._ ” 

Sigyn looked away. “I know. I suppose by this time you know who my father is?” 

Loki nodded, lips tightening into an angry line. “I found out rather rudely.” 

Sigyn ignored him. “He’s the best thief in all the Realms. He stole one of Idunn’s apples for me, refusing to take one for myself. So... my father has been dead for years. I have been waiting for the right time to come back to you.” 

He shut his eyes in pain and confusion. “Why didn’t you return earlier?” 

“I couldn’t. My father had taken me from Asgard, refusing to go to the dungeons. He knew of a secret pathway to Alfheim, and so we lived there. When he died, I was stuck, because I didn’t know how to work the pathway as my father did, so I lived with the elves for centuries. I was only recently able to convince Heimdall to open the Bifrost.” 

“Why couldn’t he see you immediately?” 

Sigyn shook her head. “My father had made a pact with the elves when we first arrived. They were shielding me from Heimdall’s sight with their magic, something I didn’t know was possible. Finally, I begged them enough to let me go, and Heimdall opened the Bifrost for me.”

Loki was silent, and Sigyn inched closer to him. 

“I am no liar, my love. Please, accept my return. I have been waiting, lonely, for eight centuries.” 

He opened his eyes, slowly, as if expecting her to flicker before his eyes and disappear, just like she had done in his dreams in the weeks following their ill-fated wedding day. He waited a minute before speaking, observing her face and the single tear trickling down it. It mirrored his. 

“I believe you.” 

-

Maarika shook her head. “Sigyn is long dead. She was only a noble, and nobles are not immortal like the Aesir.” 

Raseri laughed, long and condescendingly. “My dear, you have no idea.” 

“Care to explain it to me then?”

“Why not? You’re not going to get out of this alive.” he answered, and a chill ran down her spine. _We’ll see about that._

“I assume you know Sigyn’s story. Loki has never been one to keep secrets. So you know that right after she crushed his little heart, he met me. And oh, he thought I was his best friend.” Raseri chuckled cruelly. “He even showed me some of his secret ways through the different Realms. And that really helped me with the whole ‘fucking his ex-fiancee’ thing.” 

Maarika stilled. “What in Hel’s name are you talking about?”

Raseri smiled. “It was a lovely arrangement. Sigyn and I had estates next to each other in the south when we were young. And when she was called in to marry Loki, I snuck in with her. I had a secret chamber where we would meet after she was finished interacting with him and we would...” he trailed off. “Well, you can imagine.” 

Maarika had to keep herself from gagging. This was worse than she could have ever imagined. 

“I assumed we would keep this up throughout her entire marriage, but then her father took her away to Alfheim, and I couldn’t see her. I figured I might as well make friends with Loki, he seems like he would be an amusing friend. And as the years passed, he started to trust me. I had a lot of fun with the whole thing, actually. He started showing me the little nooks and crannies in Yggdrasil, and how he could travel throughout the Realms without Heimdall ever knowing. After he showed me a way to Alfheim, I immediately knew I had to find Sigyn. So I angered him and it led to our ‘friendship’ falling apart. I took that opportunity to find Sigyn, who had already eaten one of Idunn’s apples about seventy years prior, and we retired to my estate in the south.”

Raseri sighed as he finished explaining the twisted story. “Are you satisfied now that you know all the details?” 

Maarika shook her head slowly. “Why did you come back? You and Sigyn had a perfectly good life back in the south. Why come back to torment Loki?” 

He shrugged his shoulders. “A good friend of mine told me that he was getting married again. Sigyn and I both loathe the little bastard. Why not ruin his life one more time?” 

“You are sick.” she replied, sitting back in her chair and regarding him coldly. 

Raseri rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t care less what a dead woman walking thinks of my morals.” 

Maarika fixed her eyes to the ceiling and starting thinking of _anything_ that could get her out of this predicament. _Loki, you need to help me. I can’t do this one alone._


	16. A Sigyn Wink is Good Fortune

Chapter 16

 

Sigyn smiled brightly and another tear slipped down her smooth ivory cheek. “Thank you, Loki.” she whispered, and took his hand in hers. She squeezed it once, then held it loosely. “Well... what have you been occupying yourself with for the past eight hundred years?” 

Loki smiled, his eyes never leaving hers. “Not much. Learned a few spells here and there. Including this very interesting one I’d love to tell you about.” 

“And I’d love to hear about it. Why don’t we sit in the main chamber?” she replied, and led him back down the corridor to the main chamber Loki had entered through. They both sat on the small bed situated in the corner and turned to each other. 

“It’s a wonderful little incantation, like I said. It’s basically an extension of myself.” Loki continued. 

“How do you mean?”

He smiled, an odd look in his eyes. “You know me, Sigyn. They call me the God of Fire and Mischief and Lies. If there is a fire, I can usually detect who started it. Same with a prank, or a lie. There are only some who can hide from my intuition. This spell I learned takes away my margin of error. I perform it on myself once a day, and for that entire day, I can without fail tell if someone is lying to me.” Loki stood, letting go of Sigyn’s hand and moving away from the bed. Sigyn watched him with a blank stare. 

“How interesting.” she murmured. 

Loki turned on his heel, and fixed her in a cold and hurt glare. He sighed brokenly before speaking, as if he was trying to stop himself from weeping in sadness. With a shake of his head, he cleared his throat and started to speak again. 

“Why?” he asked, the one word hanging in the air and poisoning it with its implications. 

Sigyn remained calm. “What are you talking about, my love?” 

Loki cried out, thrusting his palm forward and sending a shot of golden magic towards her. The shimmering string flew through the air and wrapped itself around her, binding her arms to her body with unbelievable strength. Sigyn didn’t make a sound, as if she knew this was coming. 

“Why?!” he yelled angrily, coming closer to her and grabbing hold of her neck with one hand, the other one full of ice magic at his side. 

Sigyn looked into his eyes defiantly, struggling for breath but never breaking the gaze. Finally, Loki let go of her and she gasped for air, sucking huge breaths. When she was sufficiently re-oxygenated, she spoke. 

“You, the God of Lies, should appreciate my deception.” Sigyn smiled, as if she thought the situation funny. “I really broke your heart, didn’t I?” 

Loki shook his head, silent. She cocked her head. “Still confused, I see. Well, it’s not that surprising. Whoever said you were the smarter brother was severely mistaken.” She laughed then, a sound colder than the wastes of Jotunheim. 

“I was snatched from my home and my lover, to be married off to some troublesome prince who thought the world existed for his pleasure. You should’ve known I was unhappy.” 

“How could I?” he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “You seemed perfectly fine to me! You were always smiling, going along with whatever I came up with with limitless joy! How was I to know you were undermining me?”

 Sigyn rolled her eyes and wiggled slightly against her bonds. “Undermining you? It’s not like I was plotting to kill you, or take away your nonexistent throne, Loki. I was playing you.” 

“I was young. Naive. I admit that. And if I had known who your father was, I wouldn’t have trusted you. But I did. And then you left, and it took my eight centuries to recover from that. Why couldn’t you have stayed away?” 

“I just wanted to fuck with you one last time.” Sigyn smiled sweetly. 

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Loki’s shaky calm broke, and he roared in anger, throwing both palms forward, yelling the incantation, and blasting her with the force of ten sorcerers. An icy blue magic covered her, surrounding her bindings and her body equally, surrounding her with a shell of ice. _I’ve always loved this spell. It feels great to practice it on someone I actually hate, not poor Heimdall._

When Loki finished, his anger was depleted and the ice was six inches thick around his former love. He panted twice, then straightened up and smoothed his hair back. _Time to go._

- 

Raseri and Maarika had been trading insults (and slaps, at Maarika’s expense) for the past fifteen minutes. She was trying to stall until she figured out a way to get out of the chains. She had wracked her brains thoroughly but she still couldn’t recall the incantation Frigga had spoken when she had undone her and Loki’s bonds. Just as Raseri was about to deliver another blow in return for a particularly vicious insult about a certain body part, the door swung open. 

Raseri stood immediately from the chair he had pulled in front of Maarika. “Sigyn!” he cried happily. 

Maarika twisted her head as best she could around to face the door. _So this was Sigyn._ A woman stood there, dressed in all black except for a golden torque necklace. She wore a smirk, long hair hanging loosely in black curls around her face, creating a very intimidating look. “Hello, Raseri.” she greeted in a smooth voice, and she stepped into the room, slamming the door behind her. 

Sigyn passed her, glancing briefly at Maarika before embracing Raseri, kissing him deeply. He smiled at her after they parted, raising an eyebrow. “I assume you took care of Loki?” 

Sigyn laughed. “Yes, darling. He is all tied up in that lovely room of yours.” 

Maarika interrupted with a snarl. “You bitch!” she exclaimed, earning her a hard slap from Raseri. That only quieted her for a second, though. “If I survive this, I will gut you!” 

“It would do you well to hush, Maarika Abelsdottir. You wouldn’t want to spend the last few minutes of your life with a gag down your throat.” Sigyn threatened quietly. Maarika had to agree. A gag would do nothing to help her situation. So reluctantly, she closed her mouth. 

Raseri turned back to Sigyn. “So, what’s the plan from here?” _You didn’t have a plan in the first place? Are you seriously making this up as you go? How did you even make it this far being this idiotic?_

Sigyn sighed. “I thought we could freeze her, levitate her back to your room, then thaw her out. Then we could torture her in front of Loki and bleed her until she dies. We can then kill Loki, and use one of your clever pathways back to Alfheim.” 

Raseri gaped. “You amaze me every day, Sigyn. I have never met a woman like you. Strong, powerful...” he trailed a single finger against her cheek, “... and utterly cruel.” 

Sigyn smiled. “We make a good couple, don’t we, darling?” Raseri answered with another kiss, and Maarika looked away in disgust. When they finished, Sigyn looked at her appraisingly. 

“How about I do the freezing, and you do the lifting?” she asked Raseri, and he nodded, moving across the room to sit down on their far left. She raised both her palms, and Maarika winced in apprehension. 

“Varme i isen.” Sigyn whispered, loud enough for Maarika to hear. She furrowed her eyebrows. _That is not the incantation for ice._

But her thoughts were lost as Sigyn’s magic surrounded her. Maarika gritted her teeth, waiting for the cold, but was surprised to find that there was none. She could feel the ice coating her skin and could feel the shell forming, but there was only a pleasant warmth inside. _This is... odd._

Another odd thing was how she could see outside of the ice. Besides a little blurriness, she was totally aware of what was going on around her. And what went on in the next few minutes would stick in her memory until the day she died. 

Sigyn leaned forward, gave her a big, mischievous wink, and with a shudder, shifted into Loki. Maarika was silent before feeling a stab of excitement and joy, and waited excitedly to see what would happen next. 

Raseri was oblivious for a few moments before noticing that the figure standing in front of his prisoner was not his petite love, and almost had a heart attack when he saw who it was. Raseri knew what his fate was going to be, but he fought until the very end, casting spells and throwing punches and kicks. He could not come close to defeating Loki when he was angry- for that was a force to be reckoned with. 

-

“Thank you, Heimdall.” Loki replied, before stepping out and onto the Rainbow Bridge, holding Maarika’s hand tightly. They walked for a moment before Loki smiled and pointed to a spot on the bridge. “That’s where Thor broke it after he came back from exile.” 

Maarika laughed and pushed him. “He had to! You were being troublesome!” 

Loki shook his head. “You weren’t alive for that, how would you know?” 

Maarika grinned in reply and gripped his hand tighter and encircling his arm. They continued walking down the Rainbow Bridge in bliss.  

Life had been pretty peaceful for the past two days. After Loki de-thawed her and unbound her, they had wonderful reunion sex in the very chair she had been bound to. Then they had taken Sigyn and Raseri (who Loki had left alive so Maarika could help decide his fate) to the dungeons, where they stayed for a day. Maarika and Loki stayed up all night deliberating about what their punishment should be for trying to assassinate a Prince of Asgard and his fiancee, and finally decided on the perfect thing. Sigyn would have her powers stripped and would be sent to Midgard, where she would be confined to a village on the Faroe Islands- it was extremely cold there, and Sigyn absolutely loathed the cold. Since she was now technically a goddess since she had eaten one of Idunn’s apples, she would be stuck in powerless discomfort for the rest of her 5000 year-odd life. Raseri would also have his powers stripped, and would be dressed as an ‘American’ with ‘CIA’ files in his pocket, and be placed in Midgard, in the center of ‘Al-Quaida’ territory. The way Midgardians loved to tear each other apart in the name of their governments would be extremely helpful to Loki and Maarika in this case- he would be tortured for information he didn’t know and would eventually be killed. They had just dropped off the prisoners at the BiFrost, where Heimdall would take care of their delivery. 

And so the crisis was averted. 


	17. A Careful Love

Chapter 17

**Warning for mature content.**

 

After the triumphant pair had marched off of the Rainbow Bridge, attended a feast hosted by Odin and Frigga (who had nearly gone out of their minds when they found out that a criminal had been hiding in Asgard) celebrating their cunning and bravery in surviving an attack, and retired to their chamber, a tense air had surrounded them. Loki clearly was shaken up about his brush with Sigyn, and Maarika could sense that. 

She walked out of their bedroom, having taken off her dayclothes and put on her silver nightgown, and sat next to Loki who was sitting in silence on the sofa. “Loki,” she murmured in a greeting. 

He nodded, catching her eye before looking away again. “I want to apologize for putting you in danger today.”he said in a low whisper, his head bowed. 

Maarika smiled. “Loki, the only thing you should apologize to me for is making me witness you kissing Raseri.”

Loki groaned light-heartedly and put his hands over his face. “It was for the sake of a rescue!” 

She laughed. “I don’t know about that. You looked like you were enjoying it.” she teased him. 

They both broke into giggles and let a comfortable quiet fall. After a few minutes, Maarika spoke. 

“Are you coming to bed?”

Loki froze, his eyes locked on an imaginary target in front of him. Finally, he answered, quietly and smoothly. “I’ll be in soon. You can go ahead of me.” 

Maarika shook her head. “I’ll wait for you.” 

He turned to look at her, smiling. “Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting, would I?”

He stood and offered his hand, which she took. _Cold, as always._ They made their way back to the bedroom slowly and leisurely, Loki using his free hand to undo buckles on his armor as he walked. When they finally arrived at their destination, Maarika slipped out of his hand and slid into bed. The soft mattress and the cool, fresh sheets soothed her exhausted body, threatening to make her fall asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Loki followed soon after, having blown the candles out and stripped down to his underclothes. He paused before he joined her in bed, tugging off his shirt as almost an afterthought. 

Maarika stared unabashedly at his body, appreciating the strong, lean muscles in his chest, abdomen and arms. She grinned at Loki sleepily when he caught her. 

“Can you really blame me?” she defended herself groggily, making Loki laugh. He slipped under the covers, leaving about two feet of space between them. Maarika wondered about this tentativeness. Did he think something had changed between them? 

They both lay on their sides, regarding the other with guarded fondness. Their eyes gleamed in the dark, staring each other down even though sleep was pulling at their lids, begging for rest. Slowly, Maarika reached her arm across the gap in between them and laid her hand gently on his cheek. She brushed up and down it in light strokes, tracing his cheekbone and jaw. Loki closed his eyes at the touch, appreciating the soothing essence of it. After a minute he took her arm in his hand and used it to pull her towards him, her back facing his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her arms close to her chest, his thumbs rubbing circles on the tops of her hands. 

“Goodnight, Loki.” Maarika said, her voice cutting through the dark with its clarity.

“Goodnight, darling. I love you.” the statement ended with a small and slightly horrified gasp from Loki, his thumbs stopping their motions on her hands immediately. Maarika had to smile at his shyness. _It’s almost endearing._

She was cruel and waited several seconds before answering, letting him stew in anticipation. “Love you too.”

Loki sighed almost imperceptibly, relaxing as he realized that she had not rejected him. They slept, each of them comfortable where they lay, for they lay with ones they loved. 

-

When they woke, they woke together. Loki stirred as his senses came to life after their rest, and Maarika rubbed the sleep from her eyes. They broke their embrace and sat up in bed, facing each other. 

“Would you like to join me for a shower?” Loki suggested to his fiancee, his voice still raspy from non-use. 

Maarika nodded, following Loki to the bathroom. They had largely neglected the tub that was located in the left corner of the room, preferring instead to use the shower. But they both thought that today just had a slow, tired feel to it that a bath could do justice. 

Loki stepped over to the golden tub, turning the double faucet on so that a stream of hot water rushed down into either side of it. He reached under the counter below the great mirror, grabbing a couple bottles of various bathing oils and gels, adding them to the water until it was silky and slightly bubbly. Maarika didn’t wait to get undressed, slipping out of her robe and stretching lazily. Loki watched her appreciatively before stepping out of his own underclothes, joining her in relaxed nudity. 

They watched the water fill up the tub, standing side by side as Loki stroked her waist. When it was finally full, Maarika turned off the faucets and Loki stepped in first, leaning his back against one end of the tub. Maarika soon joined him, settling in between his legs, her head against his chest. They sat, letting the warm soapy water relax their muscles and soften their skin. Loki caressed her chest and stomach, dragging bubbles and warm water up and down her body, and every so often would bring his head down to kiss her neck. Maarika reveled in the attention, enjoying his gentle touch. 

Then, Loki went a little further with his caresses, dipping his hand below the water and in between her legs to rub the sensitive skin on her inner thighs. Maarika’s eyes widened, but she quickly relaxed and resolved to let Loki please her. 

His fingers slid over her clit, and started to massage it slowly. He brought his other hand over her breasts and continued caressing them as he did before. He did not quicken his pace, but kept at the same torturously slow one. After a minute, Maarika started to moan softly, and Loki slipped a finger inside of her, bringing his other hand off of her breasts to keep massaging her clit. 

Maarika arched her back and pressed her head back against Loki’s chest, whispering words of encouragement to him in between moans of pleasure. He soon added two digits, and then three, all the while her moans were increasing. 

“Faster,” she whispered, but Loki ignored her, keeping his relaxed pace going. After a few minutes of continuous pleasure, Maarika started to feel the familiar warmth just behind her abdomen, slowly building and building until finally, she came with a cry. She panted, stretching her legs as Loki removed his fingers from her. 

Maarika turned around, ready to reciprocate, but Loki stopped her. “No,” he mumbled, “That was for your pleasure only, not mine.” 

She leaned forward and pressed a chaste but meaningful kiss on his lips, and stepped out of the lukewarm water. She stretched out a hand to help Loki up, and he dried her body off with a fluffy towel before doing the same to himself.  Then he surprised her yet again by lifting her off of the ground silently, and carrying her back to the bedroom. 

“I hope you’re tired, because I’m still pretty exhausted myself,” Loki stated, and after setting her down, he crawled back into bed. Maarika nodded and joined him. 

They alternated between sleeping and reading for the rest of the day, sharing their time together while they could. The wedding was in two days, and they both knew this was the only time they could have to themselves before they were dragged off to prepare. They were not nervous, for they had fallen into a careful love. So many couples that were forced into arranged marriages never found love. They were lucky enough to be paired with partners who would balance out and complement every facet of their separate personalities.This balance could potentially make for a very strong and assured bond, which was already well on its way to growing into something powerful. 

 


	18. Author's Note- Part Two

Hey guys! 

I know I haven't posted in like a week, but please forgive me and extend your patience to Tuesday! That's when my math testing ends, and I will definitely be able to get in the mood to write and post! The chapter will (hopefully) be extra long in order to make up for my lateness!

Thanks for all your continued support!

Veronica Belleron 


	19. Husband and Wife

Chapter 19

AN: I added the part about the wedding dresses in on my own, that didn’t come from the MCU. Enjoy! 

 

The day started early for both of them. At dawn, a pair of the Queen’s personal handmaidens came to collect Maarika for wedding preparations. After a quick squeeze of Loki’s hands, she let herself be whisked away to begin. Loki was collecting not long after by his brother, who was cheery as usual. And so the ordeal began. 

After Maarika had been taken away by the Queen’s servants, she was led, a servant flanking each side, to Frigga’s personal garden. It was a small stone courtyard with the most beautiful red roses Maarika had ever seen growing in a half circle. Before the flowers sat a small but elegant wire table, with two chairs facing each other on opposite sides. There the Queen sat, in full golden regalia, her crown lightly resting upon her long blonde hair. Maarika bowed formally, and was ushered to the table by the servants, who disappeared right after.

The Queen gave Maarika a gentle smile, which she returned politely. “Good morning, Maarika.” Frigga greeted her, reaching for a teapot which was sitting on the table. 

Maarika grabbed it before she could. “Allow me, my Queen.” She poured the tea gracefully in Frigga’s cup before filling her own. 

Frigga smiled again. “Before tomorrow’s sun has set you will be calling me Mother.” 

Maarika set the teapot down with a small _clack_ , and sipped her steaming tea quietly, waiting before responding. “I look forward to the honor.” 

Frigga ignored her drink and folded her hands across the table, clearing meaning to discuss something important. Her eyes grew serious. “I need you to tell me something, Maarika, and I need you to tell me the truth. I will be aware if you do not.” 

Maarika put her teacup down carefully, avoiding the Queen’s gaze. “What is it?”

“Do you love Loki?”

Maarika’s eyes snapped up immediately, wide with surprise. She was too shocked to answer for a moment, and Frigga went on. “I will not make you marry Loki if you do not love him. I know it has only been three weeks, but that is why I chose you. I thought you would make a good companion for him, and vice versa. You should tell me now if I was wrong.”

Maarika nodded and took another sip of tea before answering carefully and slowly. “You were... correct in your assumptions, my Queen. Although Loki can be a handful sometimes, I have learned to love him. I began my engagement with resentment in my heart, but I quickly saw that he was not deserving of my hate. I thought he was just another Aesir who thought they were better than everyone else, and that he was a fear-mongering power-hungry wizard. But he is just another person, albeit a troublesome one, and he has emotions. I discovered that he is capable of tenderness, loyalty, and shyness. Loki’s company has become quite... dear to me. I would not wish to lose it.” 

Frigga sat silently. Only after looking closer, could Maarika see the shining tears that were welling up in her eyes. “My Queen?”

She laughed softly, and dried the tears with a napkin that had been sitting on the table. “I thought I would never hear those words describe my son. He has been through so many troubles, emotionally and physically, and to hear you say that you love him even in his broken state...” Frigga trailed off, shaking her head. “My son is extremely lucky to have been paired with a girl like you.” 

Maarika smiled. “All thanks to your intuition, of course.” 

“I can’t take all the credit.” Frigga grinned. “But I can certainly take some.” 

Maarika laughed and Frigga signaled the servants to come back over. “The rest of the day is strictly rest. Your every need will be fulfilled. My servants are instructed to take you to the royal bathhouse, and then to your temporary chambers in another wing of the palace. You will sleep, and then in the morning the wedding will begin. Please enjoy the rest of your day.” 

Maarika got up from her seat and bowed again, thanking the Queen, and then followed the servants yet again. 

_-_

When Thor arrived to take Loki to his wedding preparations, he was still in bed. There was an obvious imprint where Maarika had been sleeping so close to Loki, and Thor smirked. 

“Cuddling, brother? I never knew you were so sentimental!” 

Loki waved him away with a groan and a wave of his hand. “You know I do not rise at this hour. Leave me be.” he rasped. 

Thor laughed and yanked back the covers on the bed, making Loki yelp in indignation. He then left the bedroom and opened all the curtains in the main chamber, earning another pained sound from Loki. “Time to get up, little brother!” he said brightly, walking back into the bedroom. 

Loki sighed, and sat up. He was shirtless, and a few pink marks around his collarbones showed themselves proudly, evidence that he had been doing much more than cuddling. Thor ignored it, but as an older brother was slightly proud. 

“Give me ten minutes,” he said, clearing his throat, and Thor obliged. He waited patiently outside the door for fifteen before Loki finally showed. 

He greeted his brother’s smile with a blank face, and trudged along next to Thor across the palace. He looked at Thor, confused, when he realized he was at the palace armory.

“We’re going hunting?” he asked incredulously. “You know I tried my hand at that.” 

Thor laughed. “And you very nearly lost it! But today I will allow you to use your magic, if you absolutely _need_ to _,_ to assist with the kill.”

Loki raised his eyebrows, his interest peaking. “Alright then. What are we hunting?” 

“Father got reports of a troll in the east. It had kidnapped a child from a village in that area. I figured we could take care of the problem while simultaneously filling the requirements for a ‘bachelor’s party’.” 

“What in the Nine Realms is a bachelor’s party?”

Thor shook his head. “Something Jane has been going on about. A Midgardian tradition. Men before their weddings must go out and do something entertaining on the day before their weddings. Most visit dancers or other women of that nature, but you’ve never been the type to visit the whorehouse with Fandral and I, so I thought we could improvise.” 

Loki frowned. “If I had ruled Midgard, I would have made bachelor’s parties illegal. That is not a very gracious way to thank the lady who has just agreed to marry you. Starting a marriage off with infidelity is not very intelligent.” 

Thor smiled. “You have changed, brother. This girl, Maarika, has truly worked some spell.” 

Loki rolled his eyes. “Alright. What is the exact location that this troll was last spotted?” 

“Beneath the south base of the Risiko mountain. Why?” 

He ignored the question and grabbed one of his favorite daggers. “Grab a weapon, Thor. Choose well.” 

Thor held up his hand, Mjolnir faithfully held there. “What are you planning to do, Loki?”

Loki stepped close to his brother, wrapping one lean arm around his brother’s waist. “Hold tight.” he said, before closing his eyes and teleporting. 

-

Maarika was in the middle of getting her legs shaved when she realized she was bored. Bored of this spa treatment. Bored of being pampered. Bored of sitting around doing nothing. _I’m not ungrateful, it’s just that I’m not really the sort of girl who likes to sit still while servants massage her and give her facials. I need to get out of here._ Though Maarika knew this argument was one of the weakest she’d ever constructed and the Queen would probably not look favorably upon this rejection of a gift, she was suffocating. And Maarika was not one to make herself suffer in the name of etiquette.

So after the other leg was shaved, she tapped the servant who was in charge of the operation on the shoulder and smiled innocently. “I’d like to retrieve a book from my chambers. I promise it will only take five minutes. I’ll be back in a flash!” she told him, and the servant nodded and let her leave the bathhouse. 

Of course, Maarika was not really intending to come back. She was more leaning towards the idea of visiting the training grounds to see if anyone wanted to spar with her. She had no idea where Loki was, but was aware that he was probably getting tortured with wedding preparations as well. So she stopped by her chambers, changed into more suitable sparring clothes, and made her way to the training grounds- sneakily, in case the servants were already looking for her. 

When she got there, only four other people were there. And they were people who had inspired Maarika’s training for her entire life. 

“Sif and the Warriors Three!” she gasped quietly, trying to compose herself before facing them. 

She had seen them briefly at the feast celebrating Thor and Jane’s engagement, but had not approached them due to her nerves. Now was the chance to meet her idols. 

Maarika strode pseudo-confidently over to the weapon’s rack and found the curved sword she had practiced with when she had sparred with Loki several days before. Her mouth quirked upward at the thought, and quickly shook herself into a more serious demeanor as she strode towards the pen where the warriors were training. As she walked forward, she could see that Fandral and Volstagg were busy fighting while Hogun and Sif watched. 

Hogun was the first to notice her. He whispered something in Sif’s ear which made her turn to look at Maarika. Sif came forward a bit to greet the newcomer, with a confused but polite smile on her face. 

“Hello!” Maarika called out, grinning. _Don’t look too eager, you fool!_

“Good afternoon, Lady Maarika. What are you doing here?” Sif asked curiously, stopping a few feet away from her. 

Maarika froze, unable to decide whether or not to tell the truth. Finally, she decided that it would be an insult to lie to Sif, and told her shyly why she had come and from where. When Sif heard this, she laughed and told the others, who had already stopped their sparring in favor of meeting the newcomer. After a minute, she turned back to Maarika. 

“So you want to spar with us?” Sif questioned, and upon hearing the answer, welcomed her gladly into the training pen. “Let us resume with Volstagg and Fandral’s sparring, then you and I can have a try.” 

Maarika agreed happily, and sat back on the fence to watch the two men fight. She quickly learned that Fandral was a bit more fanciful and quick in his actions, reminding her a bit of Loki, and Volstagg preferred to use brute strength and forceful blows. After just two minutes, Fandral had a sword to Volstagg’s neck and Volstagg had his axe ready to come down upon his head. They called it a draw, and Maarika and Sif took their place in the pen. 

Sif readied her sword while Maarika tried to calm her nerves. She knew she would lose to Sif, who had been practicing for hundreds of years. But she’d be damned if she didn’t have fun while doing it. 

Hogun let out a yell to let them know the match was starting, and Sif lunged forward with her sword, the metal clanging against Maarika’s weapon. Maarika used the hooked end to force the sword to move sideways, and jumped back quickly when she let go. Sif faked a blow to Maarika’s right to spin around and strike hard left. Maarika got her sword up just in time to block it, and walked slowly around to Sif’s front, their swords still battling for dominance. Suddenly, in a move so fast she could barely comprehend it, Sif dropped to the ground and pulled Maarika’s legs out from under her. She hit the ground hard with a groan and Sif held her gleaming silver sword to her throat. The Warriors Three clapped for Sif and teased Maarika lightly while Sif helped her up. Maarika shook of the dirt and grinned. “Let’s go again!” 

-

Thor shoved himself away from Loki and knelt on the ground, trying to keep himself from throwing up. Loki merely chuckled at Thor’s ineptitude for teleporting, and waited, tapping his foot as Thor clutched his head. 

Finally, he stood, with a stormy expression on his face. “Never again.” 

Loki raised his hands in innocence. “But Thor... how will we get back to the castle without my magic?”

Thor groaned at what was to come but quickly got over his fear as the excitement of the hunt set in. He re-tightened his grip on Mjolnir and waved Loki over to the edge of the forest where he was already approaching. The mountain loomed before them, and the challenge hung in the air. 

They spent hours searching for the elusive troll. Loki was something of a master tracker, so with his skills, they were able to follow the troll’s trail up the mountain, and found it just as the trees were beginning to thin out and snow was beginning to be seen on the ground. 

It was quite a monstrous thing. It was ten feet tall, with rotting and flaky brown skin. Its muscles bulged and thick tufts of hair grew on its back and sides of its head. Its fingers were long and tipped with sharp black claws. It was carrying something in one arm but their view was blocked as they were viewing it from the back. Loki had half a mind to simply strike it down where it stood. _But what’s the fun in that?_

He allowed Thor to take the first shot, and he threw Mjolnir at the troll’s shoulder, causing it to stumble and drop what it was carrying. Loki froze as the small bloody body thumped on the ground, rolling down the hill a few turns towards them. This was the child it had kidnapped. And by the looks of it, the troll had already fulfilled its evil purpose. 

In a rare move, Loki thought about the feelings of another. He thought about what the mother of this poor child would feel when she received the news that her child was dead. He could almost see the woman weeping in his mind, clutching the small, torn body in her shaking arms. A child was a precious thing. And for it to be struck down so early in its life was a crime beyond all other, even if the troll was too dimwitted to understand basic morals. Even Loki could understand that murder of a child was cowardly. He shook himself of the thoughts as Thor trudged through the light snow back towards him from where he had retrieved the child. 

It was a small girl. Her look of innocence was shattered when Loki saw her missing arm and gashes on her neck, blood staining her long blond braids. His anger boiled as Thor set the dead child down by a tree, and was finally allowed to be set free when Thor set a heavy hand on his shoulder and said, “Feel free to finish him off.”

Loki unsheathed his dagger and teleported to where he was but ten feet away from the troll, in front of him this time. The troll’s red eyes widened in surprise, and so did his mouth. He could see blood and chunks of flesh still in its terrible teeth. Then he struck- lunging forward several feet before slicing a long, deep line in the troll’s chest. It shrieked in pain and shock, and put its claws up in defense. This was a mistake. Loki took this opportunity to lunge again, this time slicing its veiny hands clean off with a spurt of dark blood. The troll howled, louder than nature could have ever intended, and it threw its head back. Another mistake- Loki thrust his dagger straight into its neck with a wince and a twist. The howl died, and so did the troll. As it sank to the ground, Loki pulled his weapon out of its body and cleaned it in the snow. 

He walked back to Thor, satisfied that he had avenged the poor girl. He grabbed the child without a word, and Thor reluctantly but silently held onto his waist. They arrived at the palace in seconds, and Loki handed the body back to Thor. 

“See that the family gets the head of that troll,” he commanded as he walked away from his stunned brother. _In Midgardian bachelor’s parties, they don’t take out a murderous troll in three moves. They have fun, drink, cause trouble. Why couldn’t I have had a regular bachelor’s party?_

-

The night was long for both of them. Maarika, because she spent it getting chewed out by servants and getting rush-prepared into the late hours of the night. Loki, because he spent it thinking about the wedding and tossing and turning in his lonely bed. 

But it would all be worth it when they saw each other tomorrow in the great reception hall. 

-

The day of the wedding began even earlier than its predecessor; both Loki and Maarika were made to get up before the dawn. They were both equally angry and tired at first, but their nervousness and anticipation quickly replaced those feelings. 

Loki had been taken into Thor’s chambers to dress and review what was going to happen in a few hours. He was given a vigorous bath by two servants, despite his protests that he could do it himself, and then was shaved. His hair was combed and slicked back with a light fresh-smelling gel, and his neck was given a small splash of cologne. He looked amazing, even without his signature outfit on. The night before, his royal armor- including the helmet,- had been polished within an inch of his life. Loki could barely stand in the light without blinding someone. He certainly looked regal- and that’s just how he liked it. 

Maarika had a similar treatment, except it took longer because the servants insisted on slathering her with lotion before she dressed. Then her nails were lacquered with a gold color, that she suspected had real gold in it. Her hair was curled and set up in a half-up, half-down fashion. Gold eyeshadow was dusted lightly on her eyelids that contrasted with her grey eyes.  

Finally, she was put into her wedding dress. Unlike Midgard, Asgardian wedding dress colors differ from class to class. A peasant might have a blue or purple wedding dress, often made from cheap material. A laborer or worker would most likely have a yellow dress, or red, made from a finer cloth. A noble would wear a silver, silken gown. And royals, or royals-to-be in Maarika’s case, would have a golden gown of finest materials. 

Maarika’s wedding gown was a long-sleeved dress that reached to her ankles. It shimmered as if it was made of real mined gold. It was low-cut, as most Asgardian wedding dresses are, and showed off her assets nicely. It hugged her curves and showed off her firm, well-trained body. However, all this gold was not enough to drown out the color of her eyes, which seemed to shine even brighter in the midst of it. 

After the final touches were put on, a servant came to the room and told the others who were attending to her that it was time to come out. And this was when Maarika began to get seriously nervous. Before it had been mere butterflies, but now it seemed like a horde of bees were fluttering in her stomach. _The entire palace will be there. My father will be there._

But time doesn’t stop just because you are nervous. Maarika realized that while she was being marched to the doors of the great reception hall. When she reached it, she took several deep breaths while waiting for the cue. Apparently, the guards heard it before she did so they opened the doors while she was still in the middle of her breathing exercise. She might’ve looked like a fool in front of the whole palace for a second, but she recovered quickly and convinced herself that no one saw. 

The great reception hall was decked out in gold and silver banners, with dashes of green thrown in to please Loki. The seats were filled with all the people of the palace and the nobles of the surrounding estates. Maarika looked for her father but quickly realized she would never be able to find him in the crowd. Instead, she focused on what was waiting for her at the end of the long, long walk. 

She could see him. Even from this distance, she could spot his ever-sharp cheekbones and what she liked to call his ‘power-stance’. He was decked out in his favorite armor, and she had to admit he looked stunning. _I hope he’s thinking the same thing about me._

As Maarika walked down the hall, the crowd roared and cheered, but she seemed not to hear. She kept her eyes locked on Loki’s. And it is an understatement to say that Loki was panicking. He had never really gotten nervous before; he had always been so sure of himself. But now, he was doubting himself. 

_By the Nine... Maarika is the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on. How do I look? What is she thinking? She’s not smiling, but she’s staring at me. What does that mean? Keep it together, Loki. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want to be._

And so the thoughts went on and on, each person locked in their own heads but unable to break eye contact. Finally, Maarika made it to the steps where Loki was standing. He turned his head slightly to smile at her, and she blushed. _That’s odd. I’m not really a blusher._

Loki and Maarika stood in the middle of the steps, with Odin and Frigga standing at the top on each side. 

With a raise of his hand, Odin made the hall go silent. The crowd sat back in their chairs and Odin stepped forward to speak to his son. 

“Loki?”

“Yes, my King.” 

“Do you swear on your life and your honor that you will make it your eternal duty to serve and protect this woman?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear that you will love her and support her in everything that she does?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear that you will never be unfaithful to this woman?”

“I swear, my King.”

With this, Odin nodded, and stepped back while Frigga stepped forward. 

“Maarika?”

“Yes, my Queen.”

“Do you swear on your life and honor that you will make it your eternal duty to serve and protect this man?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear that you will love him and support him in everything that he does?”

There was a pause. “Well... maybe not everything.” Maarika quipped, and the entire hall started laughing. Frigga smiled admonishingly and Maarika bowed her head. 

“I swear.”

“Do you swear that you will never be unfaithful to this man?”

“I swear.” 

Frigga stepped back and let Odin take the stage. He began again in his booming voice, which always surprised Maarika given his age. 

“This wedding is blessed and approved by Odin the All-Father and Frigga the All-Mother. I officially proclaim you man and woman, husband and wife, Loki Odinson and Maarika Odinsdottir.” He raised his hand again, and this time the crowd burst into cheer. 

Loki and Maarika turned to each other tentatively, smiling. "We're getting new chambers tonight. It has four different rooms. We could basically live there if we wished." Loki whispered. 

Maarika grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I know. We're going to be staying inside for the next few days. We have a lot of work to do."

Loki pulled her in roughly, squeezing her waist to make her squirm and laugh. "Oh yes, this will be fun." 

Maarika put one gentle hand on his cheek, and they leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss. Frigga smiled and silently cheered with the crowd. 

When Loki and Maarika finally let go, something had changed. Something had gotten deeper. More serious. And just that much sexier. 

 


	20. Author's Note- Part Three

Hello again!

Thank you so much for 100 kudos and over 2000 hits, I am so surprised that people actually liked this story!

Unfortunately, it is AP testing season. And because I am so bogged down with studying and tests, I will not be able to update until Friday. 

I know I haven't really been updating as much as I should but school is my number one priority. I will try to make the chapter really good to make up for yet another long wait!

Thanks!!

 

Veronica Belleron


	21. Author's Note-Part Four

Dear readers,

 

I deeply regret to inform you all that I must put off the publication of a new chapter until tomorrow. I know it is one day past the day that I promised but I didn't realize how draining a 3.5 hour test would be. I am exhausted and feel that until I get a proper nights' rest, I will not be able to provide you all with a good chapter. I will publish as soon as I am able to tomorrow. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

 

Veronica Belleron


	22. A New Ritual

Chapter 22

 

AN: I know this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but I wanted to get something out to you guys as I have not been good with updates lately. The muse did not strike me but I tried to put some substance into this short chapter. Thank you for your continued patience and support.

 

After the newly bonded pair had gotten out of the reception hall, they were ushered by fellow royals and nobles into the mead hall, where a feast was held. It lasted until the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, and yet neither Loki nor Maarika were tired. The day’s events had given them a seemingly unbreakable stream of energy; a sort of excitement that sits in your belly and fills you with joy. Maarika had a great time reconnecting with her father who she finally found amongst the crowd, and Loki was polite for her sake. Halfway into the feast, there was a small ritual that involved only Maarika and Odin, where he officially gave her title of princess of Asgard, and offered her a bite of a golden apple. Funnily enough, after she bit it even though she had just had her lifespan extended considerably, she didn’t feel different at all. When Odin finally put an end to the celebration, the guests dragged their feet, eyes half-shut, back to their chambers where they surely fell into their beds asleep before their heads hit their pillows. But not the newlyweds. 

Loki had taken Maarika’s hand and led her out into the garden outside of their old chambers. The starlight shined onto the soft flower petals and made them glow beautifully. They walked in silence through the path, until they happened upon a small stone bench. Maarika sat close to her new husband, their hands still intertwined. 

After a few minutes of simply enjoying their surroundings quietly, Loki spoke.

“Happy two-hour anniversary, darling,” he murmured and plucked a small white flower off of the nearest bush, handing it to Maarika with a flourish. 

She laughed and took it, tucking it behind her ear. “Thank you, Loki.” 

He smiled at her. “Did I mention you look absolutely ravishing tonight?” 

Maarika crinkled her brow mockingly and raised a finger to her temple. “Not that I can remember...”

Loki squeezed her hand and his grin grew wider. “Well, perhaps that can be my saying.” 

“What?”

“Oh, it’s a family tradition. More like a royal tradition, but we started it. Whenever one of us is married, there is a little ritual the couples do every day. We say something to each other every day, the same thing every day, it doesn’t matter what time. It’s supposed to remind the couple of their history and what they truly feel about each other, even when in a fight. For example, Odin tells my mother every day that she is the most mysterious and intelligent woman he has ever met. And she responds with ‘You are the most regal man and king I have ever met’.”

Maarika grinned. “That’s a very strange ritual, but I’ll be happy to participate.” She looked at Loki intensely and tried to think of a perfect saying. Suddenly, one came to mind. “Even when you try to be a cold and arrogant prince, I can still see a very considerate and thoughtful partner.”

Loki raised his eyebrows. “Really? It’s a little wordy, but it’ll do.” Maarika pushed him halfway off the bench and he climbed back to her, laughing. 

“And I guess mine could be... You are almost as ravishing as you are confident and magical.”

“Oooh.. very touching. I will enjoy hearing that from you every day.” Maarika replied, and they fell into silence again. 

Loki tapped her thigh. “Are you ready to go to our new chambers?” he asked, and she sat up from where she had been leaning on Loki’s shoulder, and nodded. 

It took a while for them to find exactly where it was, for the castle was a large place. But when they did, they noticed it was not far from the library, which pleased them both. The inside was gorgeous. The immediate room inside was a sitting room, with sofas and plushy chairs scattered throughout. To the left, there was a door that led into their new private library room, whose walls were lined with empty bookshelves. To the right of the sitting room, there was a door that led into their new bedroom. The bed was even bigger than the old one, with grand green and gold furnishings and a ‘roof’. A door on the opposite side of the bedroom led into their bathroom, where an even bigger tub and shower awaited them. 

Loki pranced right into the bedroom and flopped gracefully onto the bed. “Well? Coming, darling?”

Maarika grinned and stood next to him, trailing her hand over his chest. “I will be.” 

Loki laughed and pulled her down to him. They tangled themselves in the sheets and played all night. 

 

 


	23. To Spend Eternity With You

Chapter 23

 

AN: This is this last chapter! Thank you for all your continued support and all of your patience! Writing this story has been extremely fun. Expect more from me. If you’d like, you can comment some prompts that you want me to write, because I am starting a list of new stories (Loki-centered, of course) that I will write once summer vacation rolls around in a few weeks. Thank you again! *bows* 

 

The morning came faster than it should’ve, shining its bright light through the gauzy gold curtains covering the two windows in Loki and Maarika’s new bedroom. It streamed across the room in rays, and when Maarika woke, she stared at them for a while, watching the small dust particles turn over and over in the beams. She lay there, wrapped up in Loki’s long, slender arms, completely comfortable. 

_Well, except for that little soreness between my legs. But I don’t mind._

When Loki woke up almost a half hour later, he tightened his grip on his wife and breathed her in. “Good morning, darling.” he whispered with a raspy voice. 

She turned her head to kiss his nose and he smiled. Then, noticing the beam of light that was shining directly in his eyes once he turned his head a fraction to the left, he groaned. 

“We’ll need to get thicker curtains.” Loki complained, making Maarika grin.

“There’s always something with you,” she teased. “Too hot, too cold, too light, too dark.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve always been completely content with my surroundings and situation.” he replied sarcastically, and this time Maarika laughed out loud. 

With that, Loki relinquished his hold on Maarika and swung out of bed, stretching. Maarika turned to look at him. She always loved seeing him stretch for some reason. Something about how his body was so utterly feline; the sight of seeing his defined muscles shifting and warming up under a layer of flawlessly pale skin just made her shiver. Also, he was naked, so that was a plus. 

He finished, making Maarika slightly sad, and pulled on his robe. This prompted Maarika to do the same and she followed him into the main chamber. There, sitting at a small wooden table, was their breakfast, still steaming on the plate.

Maarika looked at Loki amazedly. “I will never be able to appreciate the servants enough, will I?”

He smiled. “They are quite good at their job.”

The pair sat in their plush chairs, Loki acting the gentleman and pushing Maarika’s in. They dug into the simple meal with gusto. The night’s activities had, after all, worked up their appetite. 

Between a mouthful of the delicious egg scramble, the newlyweds discussed their day. 

“We’ll have to work on the library, of course.” Loki suggested.

Maarika nodded vehemently. “I’d like to get my books from my estate. Perhaps we can send some servants later. It _is_ a big estate so I doubt they will all get here today, but I want them either way.” 

“Anything you like. Oh! I forgot to tell you!” Loki exclaimed, fork dropping to his plate.

“What?” Maarika asked, a worry line creasing her brow. 

“My mother is coming to talk to us.” 

“What?! When?”

Before Loki could answer, there was a knock upon the heavy wooden door that was the entrance to their main chamber. Maarika scowled at Loki, and he smiled back at her innocently. 

A servant stepped in, their head bowed. “Excuse me, my Prince and Princess. The Queen is here to see you.” the boy said hurriedly.

Maarika gulped and tightened her flimsy robe around her. Loki did the same. They stood nevertheless, and welcomed the Queen in. 

Maarika started to bow when she saw her, but Frigga immediately rushed over and stopped her, saying “No, darling. You cannot bow to your mother.” 

She stepped back with a laugh, and invited Frigga to sit at the table. She even offered her some eggs, but the Queen merely put a hand up in distaste. “I never eat breakfast,” she declined. And so the couple waited to see what the topic of conversation would be about. 

After a tense minute, the Queen spoke. “This question I have to ask... please don’t answer at first. If you need to, you can speak privately before answering. But I want to know what to expect.” 

Loki felt he knew what she would ask, and tightened his hands together where they were clasped under the table. 

“Go on,” Maarika prompted gently. 

Frigga cleared her throat. “I would like to know if you two have any desire to have children.” 

Loki nodded to himself. He had seen this coming. And he only hoped that Maarika’s answer was the same as his. 

Maarika jerked her gaze towards Loki, her eyes asking the silent question. _Are we on the same page?_

After a moment, Loki turned his head back to his mother. “I think we’ll be perfectly fine on our own, Mother.” 

Maarika sighed internally with relief. _Just what I thought._

Frigga raised her eyebrows. “I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed.” she said in a low voice. Maarika was about to apologize when Frigga looked up with a gleam in her eye. “But I also admit that it might be for the best that there are no little Lokis running around the palace.” 

Loki grinned, and Maarika let the tension in her shoulders go. Frigga left after a few goodbyes, and they were alone again. 

Loki stepped towards Maarika, who was slumped in her chair, chin resting on her palm. “I know why I don’t want children. They are troublesome and I believe we can have much more fun without them. I also know you share my views, but I had taken you for the type who would enjoy passing on your genes and your knowledge to your offspring. Is there any other reason?” he asked. 

She took a deep breath before answering, letting it in and out. “My mother died giving birth to me. I’ve always viewed it as an unnecessarily dangerous practice.” she said shortly, and let out another deep breath. 

Loki placed a tentative hand on Maarika’s shoulder. He hadn’t really comforted anyone before. “There... there.” he said awkwardly. 

Maarika turned around, a wry smile on her face. “You sound like an idiot when you try to be sensitive.” Loki drew back his hand and huffed, a sour look on his face. 

She laughed softly, getting up out of her chair. “You don’t have to be sensitive for me, _darling,_ ” Maarika whispered in his ear, “You simply have to be your sarcastic, sassy, sexy, smart self. See? You really don’t need to add another s-word in there like sensitive.” 

Loki chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips met roughly and then sweetened, Maarika wrapping her arms around his neck.

Maarika pulled back after a minute, panting. “Even when you try to be a cold and arrogant prince, I can still see a very considerate and thoughtful partner.” 

Loki grinned wolfishly. “And you, my wife. You are almost as ravishing as you are confident and magical.” he said in a worshipping tone.  

The couple had identical smiles on their face. 

“I can’t wait to spend the next five thousand years with you,” Maarika murmured, and they joined for another kiss. 


End file.
